For You
by FanWriter02
Summary: When Hiccup get's a minor injury in a fall while out looking dragons, Astrid finds herself wishing she knew what to do in such emergency cases. She decides to take up learning medicine from Gothi, and it's a good thing she takes the precautions, for her healing skills are going to be needed sooner then she wanted or expected. Rated T for injury. Requested by endoplasmic. COMPLETE
1. The Trench

**What am I doing starting another story!?**

 **I had at first said, "Alright, you're going to finish "We're Here For You" before you start a new story," and now look what I'm doing! *kicks myself* I'm crazy. Crazy I tell you!**

 **Okay, enough of that. XD Here's another FanFic for you guys, hope you enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 1.**

This is Berk. Wonderful place to live in, as long as you don't mind frostbite, freezing cold for over half the year, harsh winds, desolate lands, cold ocean, dangerous creatures and everything else that comes with living on the island of Berk. But hey, it's not as bad as it could be. Not as bad as Outcast Island for example. That place isn't anything but a lump of cold rocks.

Anyways, Berk isn't all that bad. We have dragons after all, and if you have dragons, how bad can it be?

Well, pretty bad at times to be honest. Especially when Hookfang is on one of his disobedient moods, which, let's be honest, he's always on one of those, Berk can get pretty hectic.

Again, off track here. It's been two years after the war with the Berserkers, and life has returned to normal. Dragon training has slowed up a bit, since most of the dragons in Berk have been trained, thanks to the Dragon Academy. Now, we Dragon Riders only go to Training Academy about twice a week, just to stay caught up on maneuvers and such. But just because we no longer go to the Dragon Academy doesn't mean we don't hang out anymore. Ha, that's far from the truth. In fact, that's all any of us do all day. Although I sometimes do fall apart from the crowd to work at the forge, but that's only every once and awhile, mainly if I need a new leg or if Toothless's tailfin needs fixing.

We've all grown up I suppose. I'm taller than Snotlout now, (and quite proud of that fact as well, but I don't rub it in. Snotlout hates it) and my Dad says I'm not as scrawny as I once was, although I don't entirely believe him. I still wear the same sized shirt (although now they're longer then my old ones) and even though they aren't baggy anymore, I still haven't actually grown out of them. But, hey, at least I've grown taller.

Snotlout's the same. I honestly don't think he'll ever change. Still obnoxious, short (sorry, just had to add that) Hookfang still doesn't listen to him, isn't all that useful, and argues with the others constantly. He still teases Astrid about them becoming "a thing" but she keeps pushing him down. If he doesn't move on soon I doubt he'll ever find a girl.

The twins… well, they haven't changed since they were five. Grown taller and have filled out a bit more, and that's about it. They still argue a ton, constantly have wars with themselves, dare each other to do horrible and dangerous stunts, and love tricks. Let's just say they get worse with each passing year, although they have gotten more into arguing with words rather than actions- much to our relief.

Fishlegs is still a bookworm and our live book of dragons. He's got the book almost completely memorized now, and is still working on his Dragon Info cards that he says will be done soon, that way he doesn't have to constantly be memorizing everything about the dragons. I've been helping him when I can with them, but there's still quite a few to do.

Astrid… well, she's grown up too. Taller, and has grown out of her kid antics. She still packs a punch, and I try to avoid them whenever I can, but sometimes it's impossible. I swear she punches me just for the fun of it, and getting to see me blush, because I still get flustered around her whenever she touches me. (It's a secret, nobody knows… I hope) She's still the warrior out of all of us, and by far the best axe thrower. Even though I've improved on my weaponry skills, I swear I'll never be as good as she is. She and Stormfly have also been doing more aerobic tricks, Astrid claiming they'd be useful during battle, but I know she just likes to twirl in the air. She can rend to be a daredevil when she wants to be.

Toothless and I still have fun, maybe even more so then back when we were fighting the Berserkers. We have responsibilities, sure, but we always find time to go for a morning and evening flight, and flights between with the others. It's been fun, hanging out with the gang, not having to worry as much, and being able to just live life at the fullest.

…

"Snotlout, if you eat that, I swear I'm going to be sick." Fishleg's whispered frightfully.

Snotlout grinned at him fiendishly, opening his mouth wider as he dangled the worm teasingly above his open mouth. Fishleg's squeaked and covered his eyes with his hands, peeking through his fingers in disgust.

"Do it, Snotlout." Ruffnut urged. "We dare you!"

"Yeah, on the count of 1. 1!" Tuffnut added.

Snotlout hesitated, his eyes squeezing shut as he dropped the worm into his mouth. Hiccup turned away in disgust, while Astrid pretended to gag into her fist. Fishleg's fainted, keeling over and would've landed on the ground had Meatlug not been behind him to stop his fall. Snotlout almost instantly began choking and grabbing his throat, turning around and abruptly running to the bushes.

The twins were cackling as though it was the funniest thing they'd seen, while everyone else were trying to get control of their stomach's. Hiccup stared up at the trees, noticing how the sun was no longer dipped behind the large peak, but was now just showing behind it. He and the gang had gotten up early that morning, when the sky was just light enough to no longer be black, to go on a little exploring on the island not far from Berk. It was pretty small, but had some deep crevices in the earth, making Hiccup suspect that there might be some sort of dragon burrowing under the island.

Snotlout came wobbling back, his arms wrapped around his stomach and his face still a slight green color. The twins burst out laughing again, both rolling around on the ground in their mirth.

"I'm gonna-" Snotlout threatened them, but Hiccup interrupted before he and the twins could start throwing death threats at one another.

"Okay, how about we start exploring the caverns now… instead of eating worms?"

Fishlegs sat up dazedly, giving a little nod of agreement. "Please…" he moaned quietly.

Astrid, who had been bending down looking at something in the dirt, straightened up, holding a small stone-like object in her fingers. Hiccup noticed her toss it in the air a little before slipping it into her pouch around her belt.

"What's that?" Tuffnut asked, having noticed it as well. Astrid paused, then opened the pouch and pulled out her discovery.

"Just a Nadder scale- but it's a new color I've never seen before. I like to collect them." Astrid explained, holding out the shimmering purple-orange scale. Hiccup smiled and picked it up gently, surprised by how rough it was.

"Hmm… this is a lot different from any other Nadder scale I've ever seen." Hiccup murmured quietly.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"Hm? Nothing."

He handed the scale back to her, and she replaced it back in her pouch. They turned to the others, Hiccup taking charge of the chaotic situation. Snotlout and the twins were fighting again.

"GUYS!" Hiccup shouted. They all turned to look at him, Snotlout and the twins saying simultaneously "What!?"

Hiccup pointed at the twins, "You two and Fishlegs check out the east side of the island… and please, no fighting, alright?" The twins pouted but nodded.

Hiccup turned to Snotlout, "You're coming with me and Astrid."

Snotlout crossed his arms, "Why are you telling me I'm coming with you two… why don't you tell Astrid she's coming with us?"

Hiccup sighed, "Because… just because."

Toothless bumped him from behind, and Hiccup turned around with a smile. He patted the dragon's head, then climbed on. "Alright, so we'll first take a look from the sky, and whenever we see a crevice, we'll check it out. Sound good?"

"Yep." Astrid answered cheerfully. Snotlout grumbled a reply, crawling onto Hookfang's back while mumbling to himself.

Hiccup chose to ignore him, instead smiling over at Astrid- who seemed to be the only cheery person with him at the moment. He was in a good mood, and he wasn't going to let it get ruined by Snotlout's complaining.

"Alright then." Toothless jumped into the air, Astrid and Snotlout following close behind. Toothless glided right above the trees, Hiccup leaning over to the side searching for any sings of cave ins.

"There!" Astrid shouted, pointing below them. Hiccup followed her gaze and nodded his head at the sight of the deep trench.

"Let's land next to it!" Hiccup called back, and Toothless descended, landing gently beside the trench. Hiccup jumped off, stepping closer to the edge in order to pear into it. The trenches were deep, so deep that Hiccup couldn't see the bottom, although it was only about six feet wide. It didn't help that the sun was still too far over, the trees casting a shadow over them making it more difficult to see the bottom.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked, and Toothless immediately shot a plasma blast into the pit. The purple light faded for a few seconds, but then burst into a flame, proving that the trench wasn't as deep as it originally looked- maybe only 15-20 feet deep.

Astrid stepped up beside him, leaning forward a bit to look down it. "Oh, not as bad as it looks." She said happily. "Still big enough for a Screaming Death…"

"But it's not round." Hiccup pointed out. "And it's a trench up at the surface- more like an earthquake then a Whispering or Screaming Death tunnel."

"Hm, that's weird." She said thoughtfully.

"Guys, I'm getting kind of bored, got it figured out yet?" Snotlout asked from behind them. Hiccup looked over his shoulder, rolling his eyes when he noticed Snotlout leaning against Hookfang's horns, an extremely bored expression on his face.

"If you'd help this would go faster." Hiccup said.

"Naw, take your time." Snotlout hurried to say.

"Well, if a Whispering Death didn't make-" Astrid started, but then her eyes shifted down to Hiccup's feet (er, foot) and she let out a shout. "HICCUP, WATCH OUT!"

Toothless seemed to notice what she did at the exact same time, for he lunged forward to grab Hiccup with his mouth, but he didn't move fast enough. The ground crumbled and Hiccup began to plummet into the dark trench below.

"HICCUP!" Astrid shrieked, jumping forward but Toothless ended up grabbing her instead of Hiccup, so she couldn't help the falling rider. Toothless jumped forward, trying to jump into the trench and rescue Hiccup, but the trench was too small for him to fit through.

The sound of falling dirt and rocks finally ceased, and silence emanated from below. The only sound was Astrid's heavy breathing and Toothless's whines of distress. At this point, Astrid had no idea where Snotlout was or why he wasn't trying to help. Her mind was focused on Hiccup.

Once she could breathe again she leaned cautiously over the trench and called out, "Hiccup!? Are you okay?"

There was the sound of more dirt falling and Astrid stepped back, afraid that maybe she was the one who caused the sound. But she froze in her place when she heard Hiccup's voice echo out.

"Yeah… I'm fine! Just… really dirty."

Astrid sighed in relief, thankful to hear that good news. But then again, Hiccup was always one to hide his pain- so he could still be hurt, but was lying in order so they wouldn't worry. It sounded just like something Hiccup would do.

"No lying, Hiccup. Can you walk? Can you even stand?" Astrid called back down. "Do you have so much as a scratch? Are you bleeding?"

Silence for a few seconds was answer enough for her, and her worry returned. "Hiccup?"

"Um… I may have hurt my arm… just a little. It's not bleeding too badly… just enough to… you know, coat my shirt. Not bad though!"

Liar. Was the first word that popped into Astrid's mind, but she didn't voice it.

"Alright, Toothless can't fit in the crevice, so I'm going to toss down a rope. Can you grab it or do you want me to come down and help you?"

"No! Don't come down, I'll grab it." Hiccup's voice replied instantly. "The ropes in Toothless's saddle bag."

Astrid turned and grabbed the rope, then handed one end to Toothless. The dragon picked it up in his mouth and clamped his teeth on it, nodding his head to let her know he was ready.

"Okay, here it comes." Astrid called down before dropping the rope below. There was the sound of more dirt and rocks moving before the rope grew taut and Toothless dug his heels in to keep himself steady.

Astrid walked to the dragon and patted his head, "Okay, Toothless." Toothless dug his heels in, pulling and walking backwards toward the trees. Astrid hurried to the edge of the crevice, kneeling down and waiting for Hiccup to make an appearance.

Hiccup finally came into view, and as soon as he did she reached down and grabbed him, pulling him up onto land. Hiccup was gasping for air, and just like he said, he was very dirty. Covered from head to toe in dirt and dust, his hair now a dusty dull brown color rather than its normal russet. He was still lying on the ground, his legs dangling over the side of the trench.

Astrid leaned back and began to dust him off, trying to rid him of some of the dirt.

Hiccup coughed and shook his head, a puff of dust flying in all directions. Toothless stepped back, giving a little sneeze.

"Thanks, bud." Hiccup said, reaching his hand out and rubbing the dragon's nose. Toothlesss cooed and leaned into the touch, but then tugged away and sneezed again.

Hiccup laughed before pushing himself into a sitting position, and only then did Astrid see his right arm. His green shirt- or what she could see of it, since his armor covered up half of it- was colored a dull red.

"Hiccup." She gasped, reaching a hand out to grab his wrist. "Don't move." She ordered, reaching out to Toothless and searching through the saddle bags. She pulled out the water canteen and a small roll of bandages, moving closer to Hiccup so she could see his arm better.

"Where did Snotlout go?" Hiccup asked, glancing around but seeing no sign of his cousin.

"I don't know." Astrid replied, continuing to pull of Hiccup's wrist guards. She sat them on the grass before rolling up his sleeve, gasping again when she saw the deep gash that ran up his forearm and under his shoulder guards. "Oh, Thor." She whispered.

"Is it bad?" Hiccup asked tentatively, glancing down. "Oh, not as bad as I thought it was." He said quietly.

She looked at him, just now noticing how tense he was and how he was biting his lip. He was in obvious pain.

She hurried and grabbed the water, dunking it over the wound before ripping a small piece from the roll of bandages, dabbing it at the wound to try and clear away the dirt. Hiccup hissed through his teeth at the pain, and she went faster, hoping to get the procedure done as fast as possible. Hiccup groaned only once, and he made sure to muffle the noise by burying his face against Toothless's neck. The dragon cooed in worry, licking Hiccup's cheek affectionately.

Astrid wrapped the bandages around his arm, hating the fact that there wasn't enough to cover the entire wound. She stood up and went over to Stormfly, searching through her saddle bags for any stray bandages. Thankfully, she found a small wad at the very bottom, and she gratefully walked back to Hiccup and finished bandaging his arm.

She pulled his sleeve back down and leaned back shakily. She was a warrior, so she'd seen wounds before in the past, but none on Hiccup before- one that she had to take care of herself. Sure, there'd been his leg, but there had been a lot more people- people who knew what they were doing- around to help take care of him. Plus, he'd been unconscious for almost the entire thing- well, unconscious while she'd been around anyways.

So she'd never actually seen him like this before… with blood dripping down his arms and-

She shook her head, ridding herself of the image. He was fine. It was nothing but a cut that would heal over time. Once they got back home, Gothi could look at it and stitch it up.

Home, they needed to get Hiccup back to Berk.

"I'm done." She whispered softly. Hiccup just nodded his head, his eyes closed and his body slouched against Toothless's side. She knew he was exhausted, and the blood loss was definitely the cause of that.

"Come on." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling it over her shoulder. "Toothless…"

Toothless scooched closer, and she was able to help Hiccup climb on. He clipped his prosthetic in the pedal on his own, and seemed to be coming back to full wakefulness again.

"Where are we going? The tunnels-"

"We're going back to Berk." Astrid replied firmly. "You need medical attention- stitches most likely- and we don't have the supplies or no how to do that."

Hiccup snapped his jaw closed and nodded meekly. "Okay." He knew better then to argue with her, especially when she used that tone of voice.

"Let's go find the others and that idiot Snotlout." Astrid said, anger sizzling in her gut at the thought of the Jorgenson. Where had he been during Hiccup's fiasco?

 **See ya next chapter!**


	2. Astrid's Plan

**Chapter 2.**

Astrid kept a close eye on Hiccup, and was glad to see he was gradually coming back into awareness. By the time they reached the far side of the island, he was looking more alert and didn't seem as bothered by the wound as he'd been before. He still favored his arm, but that was all. And of course, him being Hiccup, he never complained about it hurting him. And just that little fact was driving Astrid _crazy_. It was so annoying not to know if he was in pain, or if something hurt specifically, and the fact that he wouldn't tell her in less she beat it out of him (literally). And it made her SO frustrated.

"How're you doing?" Astrid called out.

Hiccup smiled up at her, "Astrid, seriously, I'm fine."

She bit her lip to keep from demanding how he truly felt without any sugar, but she held her tongue, knowing that Hiccup would never tell her if he was in any serious pain. He was like that, hiding his true feelings that could worry her. As sweet as it was, it was beyond frustrating.

Astrid glanced down, her eyes wide open for sign of the other riders. She gave a little gasp of surprise when Hookfang burst out of the trees, sending leaves and branches flying everywhere.

Astrid's look hardened and she leaned forward to urge Stormfly towards Hookfang and Snotlout, but Hiccup held up a hand and gave a shake of his head, telling her no.

"It's fine." He said reassuringly. She grit her teeth in anger as Snotlout flew up beside Hiccup, the entire time the only thing flashing through her mind was to split his oversized head in half.

Before Snotlout could speak, Astrid exploded into a fury of words. "WHERE WERE YOU SNOTLOUT!? HICCUP COULD'VE BEEN KILLED WHILE YOU WENT GALAVANTINGN OFF INTO THE FOREST WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD! What's wrong with you!?"

Hiccup facepalmed and shook his head. He turned back to the glaring Snotlout, "Um, where were you?"

Snotlout huffed angrily, "Well while you two were playing in the dirt, I found a very interesting clue." He emphasized "very" with a glare at Astrid.

Hiccup brightened up, "Clue? What was it?"

Astrid shook her head at Snotlout. She was determined to get Hiccup home and his wound taken care of him, and she knew that if Hiccup started looking at this "clue" then they'd be on this island for days in search for the dragon.

"No, we'll come back later and look at it. Right now, we have to get you home." Astrid stated sternly. Both boys looked up at her, and she hardened her look when Hiccup gave her his puppy eyes. Man, he was good at that!

"Don't look at me like that." Astrid said, trying to stay stern. "We're going back to Berk, and we can come back later. I doubt that dragons going anywhere."

Snotlout snorted again before looking over at Hiccup, who was chewing his lip.

"Fine, but we'll come back tomorrow." Hiccup sighed. He turned back to Snotlout. "Remember where you saw it, and we'll go check it out later."

The trio flew on for a little longer before they met up with the twins and Fishlegs, and then they turned and began the flight home. Astrid continued to watch Hiccup closer, and she began to notice how he was slumping in his seat and how his eyelids flickered.

"How're you doing?" she called out.

Hiccup jerked upright and shook his head. "Uh-um, j-just fine!"

Astrid growled and urged Stormfly to fly lower, she and her dragon hovering right next to Toothless. "Hiccup, I know you're lying."

"I'm just tired, that's all."

Astrid stared at him for a few moments longer before turning to look ahead, relieved to see Berk coming into view. "We're almost home…"

"Mhm." Hiccup mumbled.

"Glad I insisted on going home now?"

"No."

Astrid rolled her eyes with a smile. Stubborn and typical Hiccup.

"So, what happened again?" Tuffnut asked, Barf and Belch flying closer to Stormfly.

"We were looking at a trench when Hiccup fell in and cut his arm. Me and Toothless-" she turned and glared at Snotlout "-had to get him out."

"Hey, it's not like I was being completely useless!" Snotlout defended.

"Well, technically-" Ruffnut started, but an angry glare from Snotlout quickly shut her up.

As soon as they reached Berk, the others went and landed by the Great Hall, Snotlout saying he was hungry after all the work he'd done. But Astrid insisted on coming along with Hiccup to Gothi's hut, saying she knew that if she didn't he'd probably go straight home and try to care for it himself. Hiccup sighed, knowing that when Astrid set her mind on something there was no talking her out of it, so he gave in and let her come along.

Sitting in Gothi's hut, the elder quickly stitched the wound closed. She quickly scribbled out that Hiccup should take it easy for a couple of days- just in case. With that, Astrid turned to look back at Hiccup.

"So that means no extreme long flights- like back to the island- for at least four days."

Hiccup pouted. "FOUR DAYS!?"

"Yes, four days."

"But the dragon will probably be gone by then…" Hiccup moaned, flopping back against the table. "You… you tyrant." He mumbled.

Astrid grinned evilly. "Yes, I know. I'm so cruel for making sure you don't kill yourself."

"I'm not going to die if I go for a flight-"

"And you know that for sure?"

"No…- I mean yes…" Hiccup stuttered, then he clamped his jaw shut before glaring at her. She stared back, while Gothi and Toothless sat in the middle, just watching to see who'd win the argument.

Hiccup let out a puff of air. "Fine, but four days, and that's _it_."

Astrid smirked and leaned back, her arms crossed over her chest. Her smile faded when her gaze rested on the bandage wrapped around Hiccup's arm as well as the sling that went around his neck, holding his arm close to his body.

"Hiccup- I'm sorry I should've seen- I should've warned you I saw it and-"

Hiccup looked at her and his gaze softened. "Astrid, it's fine. This was in no way your fault-"

Astrid wrung her hands in frustration. "Yes it was- somehow. I know it was. I mean, I was there and-"

"Just because you were there doesn't mean it was your fault-"

"I- I know but somehow I just feel like I could've warned you or-"

"Astrid…"

"-or I could've gotten you out sooner before you got hurt and-"

"Astrid!"

She turned around and hissed angrily when she noticed she had a tear slipping down her cheek. She hastily swiped it away, her gaze catching Hiccup's. He stood up and walked to her, grabbing her shoulder withi his good hand.

"Really, it's totally fine. Look it, I can even stand. I didn't lose another rlimb, and as long as that doesn't happen, I'm peachy. K?"

Astrid smiled softly as he joked about his leg. Hiccup knew how to do that… and she was jealous of that ability sometimes. His way of being able to be sarcastic even in hard situations. It always made her smile, because as m uch as she hated Hiccup's sarcasm at times, it was still a comfort. If Hiccup was still sarcastic, then everything was fine.

"I-I know. But I'm still sorry…" she muttered.

Hiccup gave her a little sideways hug, and she smiled again at how awkward he was. Poor guy still didn't know how to act properly around her, although he'd definitely improved. Three years ago he wouldn't found the courage to even touch her, and now he was giving her a hug. It made her happy, so she embraced him back, pulling him in for a real hug.

"I'm alright, okay?" Hiccup reassured. Astrid nodded and pulled away, chuckling softly at the blush that colored his cheeks.

Gothi was smiling beside them, and the two teens jumped even further away from each other when they remembered they weren't alone. Toothless cooed in dragon laughter as he shook his head, his eyes twinkling at Hiccup. Hiccup gave him a stern look that made Toothless laugh even more.

Hiccup shuffled his feet nervously. "I guess I'd better get home and explain… all of this…" he gestured to his injured arm, "…to my Dad before he spots me in the village and has a panic attack."

Astrid smiled, imagining Stoick doing just that. Then poor Hiccup would have to deal with an over protective father in front of the entire village…

"Alright, be careful, understood? IF I learn you've been doing anything strenuous I swear you WILL be looking for another leg." Astrid threatened, poking Hiccup with her finger on the chest. He flinched away from her and ducked under her arm, going over and climbing onto Toothless's back with a nervous laugh.

"Uh, yeah, I promise I'll be careful-"

Toothless growled and Hiccup swallowed.

"Um… very careful."

"Good." Astrid replied, then she winked at Toothless who smiled back at her before running towards the door and disappearing outside.

Astrid stood there for a moment or two before she looked back at the chair Hiccup had been sitting in previously, her heart doing a flip when she once again thought about his wound… and all the blood he'd lost. If she'd known how to stitch it up he wouldn't have lost half as much.

Her eyes widened and her face lit up with a smile when a thought struck her. If she'd known how to stitch up Hiccup's wound… but she didn't. So why not learn? It would come in handy she was certain, and even though Fishleg's knew how to do some things, he didn't know how to set bones or how to take care of deep cuts. He just knew the basic first aid, as she did. And it really only consisted of caring for minor cuts or frostbite. She needed to know more…

"Gothi?" Astrid said, turning to face the elder. "I-I have a question for you."

Gothi stared up at her and nodded her head, urging her to continue.

"Um…" Astrid started, then she gulped and continued. "You see… with us Dragon Riders going out and doing so much flying and exploring lately- and the danger we meet and all…" Gothi nodded again, and Astrid picked up the courage to hurriedly say, "So I was wondering if you'd like to teach me some stuff about healing and what to do during emergency's… so you know… just in case?"

Gothi stared at her blankly before smiling slowly, her eyes flicking towards the door knowingly. Astrid blushed, knowing that Gothi knew the true reason for her question, but she pushed her slight embarrassment aside, waiting for Gothi's response.

Gothi nodded and began scratching runes into the small pile of sand. Astrid leaned closer, her eyes quickly scanning through it.

Astrid smiled and sighed. "Thank you, Gothi. But can I start right away? It's only four day until we have to leave again so…"

Gothi nodded with a kind smile, and Astrid smiled back, surprised that she'd avoided being whacked on the head so far. Every time Gobber came he left with at least three hard knocks to scull. But then again, Gobber always seemed to have a way to tick Gothi off. Astrid knew that the two were really good friends… just had an odd way of showing it.

A knock came at the door, and Gothi nodded towards it. Astrid walked to it and cranked it open, allowing the first patient to enter.

 **Okay, just so everyone knows, not everything may be medically accurate, because I am NOT a doctor at all. I'll try and do as much research as possible, but this is the Viking world, so I can make up some stuff, right? :D**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but as I said last week was test week in school, so I had a lot of studying to do and was just too busy to type. So sorry again! But I do hope to start updating faster this week to finish up my current stories and move on to others, because I have a long list awaiting me. :D**

 **Thank you everyone! Till next chapter!**


	3. Medicine not always fun or tasty

**Hi!**

 **Next chapter, my lovely's! Sorry I'm moving so slow, but I'm trying to pick up my "updating every day" routine. :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 3.**

A large Viking stepped inside the door, Astrid instantly noting how he had his arms wrapped around his stomach. Gothi stepped forward, but then backed up when the man gagged before rushing over to a wooden bucket in the corner.

Astrid crinkled her nose in disgust, looking over at Gothi who had already moved on to one of her shelves. She poked around a little before coming back, holding a little bottle in her hands.

The sick Viking turned around, his face not as green as it had been before. Without saying a word, he took the bottle Gothi handed him, then went back out the door.

Astrid shut the door, turning back to Gothi. "Well, that was… quick."

Gothi smiled before waving her hands a bit, pausing before scribbling into the floor again.

Astrid leaned closer, scanning through it quickly before answering. "Well, I just really want to know what to do in emergency cases. Like gashes or maybe poison- never know when that might come in handy to know."

Gothi nodded then walked back over to her shelf. She shuffled through some books before pulling out two, blowing off some of the dust that coated them. She gave a little cough before hobbling over to Astrid, holding out the books.

Astrid grabbed them, then read the covers. "The art of healing?" she asked, looking at Gothi. The old lady nodded her head, then motioned with her hands, making an open gesture before making it look like she was flipping through imaginary pages. "You want me to read these?"

Gothi nodded again.

Astrid looked back at the books, lifting the cover before glancing through the pages hurriedly. "Thanks, Gothi."

Gothi nodded pleasantly, but then came another knock on the door. Astrid hurried to open it, surprised when she saw Tuffnut and Ruffnut standing there. Surprised because they actually knocked (for once) and surprised that they were even there. I mean, she really shouldn't've been, seeing as how the twins are constantly hurting themselves, but it still made her do a double take.

Ruffnut stepped inside, dragging a whimpering Tuffnut behind her. "Oh, hey, Astrid. What're you doing here?"

Astrid blinked, then backed up so that the two could walk towards the table. "Umm… I'm helping Gothi out. What're you two doing here?"

Ruffnut shoved Tuffnut into a chair, causing her brother to let out a yelp before mumbling under his breath. "I am hurt, so very much hurt…"

Ruffnut jabbed her thumb at Tuffnut, "My idiot brother walked off a cliff."

Astrid rolled her eyes, somehow only mildly surprised. "And for what reasons this time?"

Gothi was glaring at the twins, and when Tuffnut curled up into a little ball the old women thumped her cane angrily against the floor before turning around and walking to the back of the room. Astrid didn't blame her, with the amount of times the twins came to her, I'd get pretty sick of putting up with their little accidents as well. Not to mention Tuffnut was one of the biggest babies in the entire archipelago.

Ruffnut leaned against the table, looking totally relaxed and at ease. "I dared him to. And he walked right off and into a bush. Cut his arm, his leg, his face-"

Astrid rolled her eyes before grabbing a rag and a bowl of water. Gothi returned, still looking irritated, but then she noticed Astrid and smiled. She grabbed the bowl from her hands, and went and grabbed a bottle. She held it out to Astrid, motioning for her to pour some into the bowl.

"How much?" Astrid asked, not wanting to make the mixture to strong or not strong enough. Gothi did a little measurement with her fingers, and Astrid nodded, pouring in the approximate amount.

Astrid tried to hand the bottle back to Gothi, but she shook her head and pointed at the little parchment tag tied to the lid. While Astrid began to read what it said, Gothi took the bowl and went to the complaining Tuffnut.

"So this is a disinfectant of some sort…" Astrid murmured. She got to the last part and her eyes widened, "What the!?" she exclaimed. She turned to Gothi, waving the bottle in the air. "Is this seriously Toothless's saliva?"

Gothi was just in the process of smearing some of the watered-down mixture onto Tuffnut's face where a long scratch lay. All three persons froze in place, Tuffnut's eyes going wider than they were already.

Gothi shook her head at Astrid, a motion that said _shhh_ rather than _no_. Tuffnut's eyes went wider, then he began wiping his hands across his face madly, howling about how Gothi's treatment was going to kill him.

"How could you, Gothi!? You made me drink some of that stuff that time I lost a tooth! How could you!? I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'M GONNA DIE!" Tuffnut howled, falling off the table and rolling around on the floor, all the while trying to scrub at his tongue.

Ruffnut had also paled slightly and was rubbing her arm nervously. "Is it really Toothless's spit?"

Astrid looked back at the tag and nodded.

Gothi rolled her eyes when Ruffnut gagged and made a mad dash to a bucket. Astrid winced and turned away, setting the small bottle back on the fire pit edge. "So, Toothless's saliva contains some sort of disinfectant healing… stuff?"

Gothi nodded and began scribbling into the floor. Astrid bent down, and nodded. "Okay, so if anybody gets a cut, have Toothless lick the wound if he's around. I wonder why Hiccup didn't tell me to do that this morning?"

Gothi shrugged and walked over to another shelf, having to side step around Tuffnut on her way. She pulled down a little jar and walked back to Astrid. She set it down on the table before flipping the book open, pointing to a charcoal drawing on the first page. Astrid stared at it before reading the writing beneath it.

"A Tea Tree, and Lavender. So, these are good for helping cuts or burns?" Gothi nodded and opened the jar, showing Astrid what the plants looked like. She picked up a withered purple flower, immediately noticing the sweet but strong smell. "Hm, how do I apply them?"

Gothi took the plant and began mashing it into a wooden bowl. Once the purple flower was nothing but a pile of dust, Gothi grabbed a mug of water and carefully poured in a little bit, enough to make the stuff into a paste.

"Interesting." Astrid murmured, running her fingers through the goopy stuff. As unpleasant as it was to feel on her skin, it was still a nice handy wilderness trick. Especially if Toothless wasn't around, this would work very well.

Ruffnut stumbled over, her eyes falling onto the bowl Astrid was holding in her hands. Her eyes widened and she turned another shade of green.

"What's that? Dragon dung? Do we have to eat it?" she t urned to Gothi and grabbed the ladies shoulder, shaking her slightly. "WHAT OTHER TREATUROUS THINGS HAVE YOU DONE!? YOU DESERVE THE WRATH OF THE THORSTON INTEROGATION!"

Tuffnut, who all this time had been moaning and groaning on the floor, jumped to his feet and rushed over, a wide grin on his face. "Thorston interrogation!? I'm all for it! We should tie her to a tree, and I'll be bad Viking, you're good Viking, and-"

Astrid tackled Tuffnut while Gothi easily whacked Ruffnut in the noggin with her staff. Ruffnut yelped and stepped back, tripping over Tuffnut and Astrid in the process. The result: a Thorston sandwich, Astrid between.

"GUYS! Ruffnut… get… OFF OF ME!" Astrid demanded, shoving the female twin to the side. Tuffnut gasped for air once she stood up, sitting up slowly as he took in the air he needed.

Astrid stepped back, dusting herself off while doing so. "You two, out." She pointed at the door, and Ruffnut scrambled to her feet.

"Hey, you don't need to tell us twice! I don't want to eat dragon dung!" with that, she exploded into a run, disappearing outside.

"But I wanted a Thorston interrogation!" Tuffnut shouted after her.

"We'll go find Sven and do it to him!" Ruffnut's voice called back faintly.

Astrid rolled her eyes before turning back to Gothi. The elder moved back to the fire pit picking up various items to put away. She looked back at Astrid, then at the door. She smiled and made a _shoo_ motion with her hand, giving Astrid leave.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning." Astrid said, grabbing the books before turning to go. She closed the door behind her, blinking rapidly against the harsh sunlight.

Stormfly squawked when she caught sight of her, and Astrid smiled before tucking her books away in the saddle bags, swinging her legs over the saddle and taking off into the air. She headed first towards the Hall, mainly because she was hungry and needed something to eat. Also, to just have a nice chat with the others-

Nope. Skip the Great Hall. She remembered the books in the bags, and knew she should just go straight home and do some studying. She had four days. Four days to learn as much as possible before the next longer and bigger trip- and most likely dangerous. They'd be going back to that island looking for a knew and perhaps dangerous dragon. Who knew what would happen, and Astrid didn't want today's incident to repeat itself.

Study hard, skip the Great Hall. Learn as much as possible from the healing books. Not because of Hiccup! Just because… well… just in case. In case any of the riders go hurt. Not Hiccup, the others, and…

Ugh, stupid Hiccup. Why did he always driver her to do strange (and perhaps useful) things just because she was afraid of something happening to him?

Hiccup would surely be the death of her. Well- more like her worry for him. But either way, this was all his fault.

Yep. She loved that idiot.

 **See ya in the next chapter everybody! Also, I added a new upcoming story on my profile, so go check that out and see what stories I'll be doing next. :D**


	4. Cuts and Snotlouts

**Chapter 4.**

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The next day Astrid woke up later then she'd planned- making her frustrated with herself. She launched out of bed, hurrying to dress and grab the two books Gothi had given her. Those books were the reason she was late in waking up- she'd only spent half the night studying the one on cuts and burns. Now she had the other that went over poisons and internal damage along with fevers and what not.

She ran down the stairs, grabbing a piece of bread on her way out for her breakfast. With a hasty good morning and good-bye to her parents, she rushed out the door.

Stormfly perked up when she saw her, and Astrid hurried to apologize to the dragon.

"I'm sorry I didn't come out to feed you sooner- I slept in." Astrid explained, tossing a basket of fish to the dragon, along with a couple pieces of chicken. Stormfly greedily gobbled them up, eating the chicken with more joy then the fish. Astrid smiled and pat her dragon before swinging open the gate to the stall.

"Go out and have fun." Astrid urged, and Stormfly complied, rushing out to join her friends in dragon play. Astrid watched Stormfly disappear into the village before adjusting her shoulder armor and walking towards Gothi's hut. She would've flown Stormfly to Gothi's but then she might've been spotted by Hiccup or the others, and she didn't really want them to know that she was learning medicine. After Hiccup's accident… they might get rather suspicious and put two and two together.

The sun was just over the horizon by the time Astrid reached Gothi's hut. She paused at the door before knocking, wondering if she'd arrived a little too early. But she really wanted to learn all she could, and she only had a few days to do that.

"Gothi says come in!" a muffled voice shouted from inside.

Astrid paused a moment, then pushed the door open, stepping inside.

"Morning, Gothi. I read that book you gave me last night and…" Astrid let her voice die down when she turned around, noticing who it was that had called out before.

Hiccup was sitting in a chair beside the fire pit, while Gothi was mixing something in a bowl. Astrid gulped nervously before stepping forward, setting the books beside Gothi.

"Hey, Astrid." Hiccup greeted casually. Astrid laughed nervously in reply, hating how shaky it was. She cleared her throat, hoping that would help.

"Watcha doing here?" she asked, sounding overly casual. She mentally slapped herself and really _really_ wished she could take back what she'd just said. It was obvious she hadn't expected him there, and that she was nervous, and Astrid Hofferson was never nervous!

"Ech, burnt my hand at the forge. Gobber ordered me to come and have Gothi take a look." Hiccup shrugged while Gothi turned back around and smeared the smelly concoction over his hand. Once she was done she pointed towards the door before walking away.

Hiccup stood up and shook his hand out. "What does Gothi put in that stuff? Stings like crazy."

In all honesty, Astrid could've answered his question. But she held it back, not really wanting him to know she why she was here.

Hiccup suddenly snapped his head up towards her. "Wait, why are you here? Did you get hurt? Was it the twins? Did-"

Astrid laughed, holding up a hand to stop his panicked rambling. "No, Hiccup, I'm fine. I just came here to return these books I borrowed from Gothi."

Hiccup sighed in relief, then stepped closer to the table where she'd sat the books. She quickly grabbed them and tossed them into a barrel, hoping Hiccup wouldn't want to look at them…

"Well, I'd better be going. Want to come with? The others talked about a race so-"

Astrid shook her head, biting her lip. Dragon racing? Oh, that was tempting. But… no. She had to finish reading that book.

"No, I think I'll just stay here for now. I want to ask Gothi about a few things…"

Hiccup stared at her oddly for a few moments before giving a shrug and stepping towards the door. "Okay… see you later?"

Astrid nodded, watching him leave and shut the door behind him. She heaved a heavy sigh before turning around, noticing Gothi putting about in the back of the room, tinkering with bottles here, mixing something there. Astrid stepped closer, looking about at all the mixtures in curiosity.

"So, um, I finished the one book, and I just have the other one to do. I was kind of hoping, if there was some sort of case today that involved stitches, if you would let me have a try at it? Just for practice you know."

Gothi turned and nodded, tapping Astrid on the arm before continuing on her way, mixing and dashing, making Astrid quite confused in the process. Finally, she decided to just go and get that book and start reading. Keep herself from staying up all night again.

Just as she settled into her chair and flipped to the first page, the door swung open. In stepped no other then another one of Astrid's friends: Snotlout.

"Oh, no." Astrid whispered under her breath. Anyone but Snotlout! That big mouth would have her secret spread all across Berk by noon-time.

"GOTHI!" Snotlout howled as he stumbled inside, gripping his hand. "Gothi, I think I'm dying!" Snotlout cried.

Astrid rolled her eyes before slamming her book shut. Gothi stepped forward, the old woman also rolling her eyes before turning to Astrid, motioning for her to come forward.

Snotlout plopped into a chair, still sobbing about how he was to young and good-looking to die. He looked up and noticed Astrid, and the sobbing quickly ceased.

"Uh, Astrid! What're you doing here?" Snotlout tried to act casual, leaning back against the chair. From where Astrid stood, she could see the blood smeared in the palm of his hand, and she couldn't help but wince.

"What did you do to yourself this time, Snotlout?" Astrid asked, leaning against the table while Gothi came over, holding a cloth and a bowl of water in her hands. She pushed the water at Astrid, along with Toothless's spit. She began to make the mixture easily, remembering her lesson from the day before.

"Oh, you know, practicing with my weapons." Snotlout answered.

"Hookfang tossed you into a tree again, didn't he?"

Snotlout snorted. "Uh… _no_."

Astrid smiled to herself before turning and holding out her hand. Snotlout hesitated but then uncovered his injured one, revealing a small, but semi-deep cut in his palm.

Astrid dumped the bowl of water over it, causing Snotlout to howl again. She couldn't help but smile, Snotlout was such _a baby._

"Ouch! That stings!" Snotlout complained. Astrid ignored his complaints and continued the wipe the blood away from his hand. Snotlout smirked coyly. "Oooh… worried about me, aren't you? Taking care of me because-"

Astrid shoved his hand back, stepping back and allowing Gothi to step forward. "Never in your wildest dreams, Snotlout." If he hadn't already been injured and right in the middle of an examination, she would've grabbed his arm and flipped him off the chair. Oh well, she'd do it later.

Gothi grabbed her arm, pulling her back to Snotlout. She then proceeded to hold up a small needle with thread attached.

Snotlout paled visibly. "Wh-what's that?" he croaked.

Gothi held up the needle, then moved it towards Snotlout's hand. She made a small incision at the top of the cut, making Snotlout yelp. She pulled out the needle, then placed it in Astrid's hand.

"Wait, what? Why is Astrid doing it!?" Snotlout shouted angrily. He looked back to Astrid. "Why are you even here, anyways?"

Both Astrid and Gothi ignored him, while Gothi carefully guided Astrid's hand over the wound. She then made a poking motion with her fingers, nodding at Astrid.

Astrid took a deep breath, then steadied her hands before making a small incision. Snotlout yelped again, once more over-dramatizing. Astrid pulled out he needle, going to do another stitch, quite proud of how neat they were. Maybe her mother's sewing lessons had come in handy after all.

"Are you done yet?" Snotlout whimpered.

Astrid quickly finished off the last stitch, going to tie a knot before cutting the thread. Snotlout withdrew his hand immediately once she was done, rubbing it tenderly.

"So, why are _you_ here?" Snotlout asked, stilling holding his hand close.

Astrid turned around, her back facing him while she put the needle and cloths away. She leaned against the table, biting her lip as she tried to think of a solution.

"Um… I'm just here helping Gothi out a little. You know, it's been rather busy lately so it thought I'd help."

Snotlout didn't look convinced… _at all._ But she smiled, trying to look convincing.

"Hm, does Hiccup know you're here? He was looking for you yesterday-" he noticed her expression. "Oh, he doesn't know you're here, does he?"

"Yes he does." Astrid answered curtly. "He was here this morning."

Snotlout shrugged and stood up. "Welp, guess I'll be going then."

"Please do."

Snotlout put on a pouting face. "Aw, come on. You don't enjoy my company?"

"That's about right, yeah."

Snotlout snorted and headed towards the door. "Whatever."

Astrid returned to the table, sitting back down and reopening her book. She settled in, and began to read.

 **Humongous writers block going on on this story. So sorry peeps! I'm really bad at filler chapters between the beginning and the actually dramatic parts. So, the next chapter will probably skip right to the part where they're returning to the island. :)**

 **See you next chapter! :D**


	5. Part Truth mixed with Storms

**Me: *lifts hand and grabs edge of cliff* I… *pulls self up* AM ALIVE!**

 **Yes, I have returned! Life has been so busy lately, have only now found timem to write. My apologies!**

 **Here are some shotouts, cuz you guys totally deserve them!**

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 **endoplasmic: Hehe yes I do! Lots of drama coming up… (¬** **‿** **) and thank you for the suggestions! I think I'm gonna use a couple of those, especially the one with Stoick. Thanks again!**

 **DragonGirl310 (Guest): Oh, I really like all of your suggestions! I wrote them down so I won't forget. I really really really like the b-day series idea! I'm gonna have to start that sometime… Also thank you for all the awesome reviews on my other stories (and this one) :D Thanks you!**

 **Lauralkelley99: Okay, good. Whoo. *wipes away sweat* :)**

 **Damfan: Using your idea in THIS CHAPTER! :D Thank you!**

 **SailorMew4: Ikr? Just, Snotlout, mature a little already! XD**

 **FabinaForever11: Thank you! *gives gallant bow***

 **jimmix: Glad you like it! I'm not sure if I like the pacing, but I'm glad you guys think it's alright. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5.**

The rest of the day was equally as busy, many injured Vikings coming in with all types of wounds, varying from a little scratch that barely needed caring to a broken bone that Astrid swore she'd never be able to set without help. There had also been a case of a small wounded boy who'd accidently stepped on his dragon's tail, causing the wounded animal to let out a small stream of flame, burning the boy in the process. Astrid's heart had softened a degree when she noticed that the poor boy had tears streaming down his face and a large angry burn on his arm. Astrid had been able to care for that all by herself, without any help from Gothi at all, for she'd dealt with many burns over the past. Never any as bad as that one, but still some pretty nasty burns. Burns had been common back then, when they were still fighting dragons. She still had a large scar on her back from one certain ordeal that had been worse than any of the others.

Going to bed that night, Astrid all but collapsed onto the mattress. She had never known that using nothing but her mind and her fingers (for the most part) could be so exhausting. She had no idea how Hiccup did it. He spent hours in the forge, pouring over his sketches and designing new weapons, flight suits, tailfins, and anything else that popped into his always active brain. He used his hands while working at the forge, and used his brain non-stop. And he'd been doing it ever since he was young. How had he _survived_?

Astrid rubbed her fingers against her forehead, trying to rub the head ache away. She'd been reading on and off all day, and with all the jumping up and getting interrupted in between her reading, it had made her almost sea-sick. She rolled over onto her stomach, blinking at the candle sitting on her bedside table drowsily. She almost couldn't find the strength to blow it out, not bothering to change her cloths. She'd just have to get dressed in the morning anyways.

The next morning, Astrid made sure to wake up early- well, earlier. She still didn't wake up as early as she normally did on other mornings, but she excused herself, seeing as how she'd pushed her brain to the maximum strength it had. She felt a lot better though, and for that she was thankful. She even found strength and energy to jump out of bed, yawn, and go to change her shirt, which was dirty from yesterday's chores. Once in clean cloths, she trotted down the stairs, once again giving her parents hasty greetings and goodbye's before stepping into the gloomy world outside.

"Great." She muttered, looking up at the grey sky over head. "Looks like rain _." At least it's not snow_ She thought. She'd take rain over snow any day.

Stormfly jumped out from behind the building, squawking happily. Astrid laughed and stepped forward, rubbing her dragon's head lovingly. "Sorry girl, I know I've been neglecting you attention lately, huh?"

Stormfly squawked again before turning and beginning to preen under her wing. Astrid smiled, swatting Stormfly's neck before climbing into the saddle.

"I suppose we have time for a flight, huh, girl?"

Stormfly withdrew her beak and squawked happily, unfolding her wings before jumping into the air. Astrid hung onto her saddle tightly, narrowing her eyes against the damp air. Yep, definitely going to rain.

The two flew rapidly around the island, almost four times before slowing to a stop above the village. Stormfly hovered over the town square while Astrid tried to decide where she wanted to go- straight to Gothi's hut or off to visit wither her friends.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she'd forgotten to eat any breakfast that morning. Astrid grimaced, placing a hand over her empty middle before speaking directions to Stormfly.

"Let's go to the Hall, get something to eat."

Stormfly immediately took off towards the Great Hall, landing gently on the top step. Astrid climbed down, noticing a couple of other dragons outside the door as well. Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barch were all huddled next to the wall. Stormfly rushed over, and began to join in whatever dragon chatter they participated in.

Astrid pushed the doors open, sliding them closed behind her before stepping inside. Almost as soon as she entered, thunder sounded from outside, before the sound of light pit-pat of rain against the roof.

"Just as I predicted!" Tuffnut shouted from somewhere in the throng of Vikings.

Astrid smiled before going over to the buffet table, grabbing a wooden plate before loading it with food. She made her way through the Vikings, searching for the table her friends were most likely gathered at. Astrid wasn't for sure how it happened, but somehow the Dragon Riders sort of got their own table. Everyone knew who sat there, and it was always empty and ready for them to use, but it was never actually voiced that that was their table. Between the other Vikings, or the teens. It was just sort of… well… known.

"Hey, Astrid! Long time no see!" Snotlout called out, waving his arm to grab her attention. She made her way to the table, taking a bit out of her food on the way.

She paused when she noticed Hiccup sitting on the end of the bench, Toothless curled up on the ground at his feet. She swallowed then continued forward, albeit a bit more hesitantly then before.

She sat down across from Hiccup, seeing as how that was the only free spot left. She continued to eat, staying silent for the most part while the others chattered together about the Dragon Race they'd had the day before.

"So, why didn't you join the race, Astrid?" Fishleg's asked innocently.

Astrid laughed nervously. "Uh-I… um- just had some stuff I had to do. I was also helping Gothi out so…"

Hiccup leaned down and rubbed Toothless's head with his injured hand, still wrapped in bandages minus the sling, making the dragon smile in his sleep and twitch his leg. Astrid followed Hiccup's every move out of the corner of her eyes, trying not to make it too obvious. When Hiccup glanced back at her, catching her eye, she hurriedly looked away, her eyes meeting with Ruffnut's suspicious look instead.

Astrid cleared her throat, aware of the awkward silence that now settled over their table.

"Yeah…" she finished lamely.

Ruffnut pointed a finger at her, while narrowing her eyes. "You're up to something." She accused. "You're acting weird. And you're never weird."

Astrid smiled unconvincingly, making even Fishleg's look suspicious. "Yeah, is something wrong?"

"NO!" Astrid hurried to say, nearly dumping over her mug in the process. She hurried to grab it, earning odd looks from the others. Toothless had woken up after all the ruckus, and also looked surprised by her clumsiness.

"What's going on?" Hiccup asked, leaning forward on his elbows against the table. "Astrid..?"

Astrid glanced up, her heart weakening at his expression. Hiccup and his puppy look. He learned it from Toothless, because Hiccup really couldn't say no to that Night Fury whenever the dragon pulled the puppy eyes. He'd tried it on his Dad once, and honestly, Astrid couldn't blame Stoick for giving in. Hiccup was a master at the puppy eyes.

"Um…"

"Why _have_ you been at Gothi's? Are you sick?" Hiccup's eyes widened and he stood up. "is there a reason you have to stay at Gothi's? Is something wrong? Did she-"

Astrid held out her hands, stopping him from saying more. "No, no! It's-It's nothing like that." She whispered softly at the end. Hiccup plopped back into his seat, his eyes still holding question. Everyone else was staring at her, all waiting for an answer.

"Well?" Snotlout demanded impatiently. "What is it then?"

"I…" Astrid hesitated, then glanced around at the riders. No way out of this one… "I'm just… learning a bit about medicine."

The silence was deafening to Astrid's ears- not that it was complete silence. There was still all the chatter surrounding them, along with the banging and clanging of weapons and eating utensils, but it still felt like it was deathly silent to Astrid's ears.

"Oh, well, if that's all." Snotlout shrugged it off.

"Yeah, I thought you were doing like some undercover mission of some kind." Tuffnut added, looking mildly disappointed.

Ruffnut was still staring doubtfully at Astrid, her eyes narrowed. "Why?" she simply asked.

Astrid shrugged, picking up another piece of food with her fingers. "No reason. Just, sort of a precaution. That accident the other day got me thinking that maybe it would be handy to know how to handle medical situations… especially with all the exploring we've been doing lately."

Ruffnut suddenly smirked, her eyes flitting over to Hiccup then back at Astrid. Astrid's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly, silently begging Ruffnut _not to say anything_.

Ruffnut opened her mouth, but was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder, the sound shaking the entire building. Astrid noticed how Hiccup gave a little yelp, along with a jump, Toothless lifting his head and cooing as though in worry.

"Man, what a storm!" Snotlout remarked, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Tuffnut said, jumping up out of his seat and doing a happy jig of sorts. "I hope there's lots of lightening! I've tried getting struck ever since Hiccup got hit a few years ago, and I haven't succeeded. Maybe today will be the day!"

"Why on earth do you want to be hit by lightning? It's not fun, trust me, I know." Hiccup asked in puzzlement. Astrid sighed in relief as the others began talking about that catastrophe from two years earlier, glad for the distractment.

Hopefully no more would need to be said on the "medical training" matter.

…

Astrid barely made it to Gothi's hut without being blown away. The wind had picked up dramatically, forcing the dragons to stay on the ground out of harm's way. Stoick had ordered most of the dragons to go to the newly built stables, and at times like this, Astrid wished that the new hanger was completed. But they had just started on building it, Hiccup having only finished the designs a few weeks ago.

"Morning, Gothi! Sorry I'm late, got held up at the Great Hall." Astrid apologized peeling over her wet coat in the process. Thankfully, it had protected her from getting totally soaked, although her leggings were still damp. She stomped her boots, hoping to shake some of the rainwater off.

"Morning, Astrid." A deep voice greeted her. She snapped her head up, her eyes searching the room for the source of the voice. Just as she'd feared and expected- Stoick the Vast was sitting at the table.

"What're you doing here? I thought you were still at the Hall with the others." Stoick asked, holding out his hand which Gothi was currently looking at with interest. Stiock's face hardened and he let out a loud boom. "ODIN, WOMAN! WHAT'RE YOU DOIN'?"

Gothi clicked her tongue, resuming whatever treatment it was she was doing.

Astrid coughed, trying to cover her laugh. "Um, sir, I'm helping Gothi out."

Stoick nodded, "Hm, I see. Specific reason?"

"Just want to l earn a bit more about medicine. Just in case, you know."

Stoick nodded, although his eye held a twinkle. The twinkle disappeared however when Gothi poked his hand again, causing the big man to roar angrily. "OW! CAN'T YOU DO IT ANY GENTLER!?"

Astrid gave a half choke half laugh in her amusement, coughing when Stoick glared at her.

"Anyways, Astrid, that's good. After that accident Hiccup had the other day someone who knows medicine will be a nice thing to have around on those trips you teens take."

"That's what I was thinking."

Stoick quirked an eyebrow at her, "Oh?"

Astrid nodded, freezing when she realized what Stoick was hinting at. "No! It's- not _because_ of _Hiccup_ \- it's in case of… well, in case _anybody_ gets hurt."

Stoick just smiled, "Yes."

"Really, it's just a precaution."

"Sure it is."

"Honest!"

"Uh-huh."

Astrid glared at him, then stalked over to the shelf where she'd placed her book the day before. She yanked it off the shelf before stomping over to a chair, slumping into it before opening her book to the page she'd left off at, Stoick's soft chuckle ringing in her ears and causing her ears to burn red.

"Well, if that's what you- OUCH! GOTHI, WATCH IT!"

Astrid snorted again, this time not trying to hide her laughter. She hid behind her book, continuing to snicker quietly.

She heard the sound of wood scraping against wood, and she glanced over the top of her book to see Stoick stand up, flexing his fingers on his bandaged hand. "Thank you, Gothi, although I do believe you could've stitched it a little gentler."

Gothi just shrugged, looking like she was trying to hide a smile.

A large pounding sounded off the door, then it burst open, allowing Gobber to stumble in..

"Aw, Stoick! There you are. Thought maybe you got blown away or something."

"What is it, Gobber?"

"Eh, trouble with Sven's sheep. They're kinda out of hand with all this lightening. And you-ah-" Gobber lowered his voice as he pushed the door shut, stepping closer to Stoick to say quietly, "have another wee problem. Hiccup doesn't know I know, but-eh- this lightning…"

Stoick's face switched from stoic and hard core to worried and soft in a split second. "Oh, no, I didn't notice- I should've known…"

"He's good at hiding it." Gobber merely stated, limping back towards the door. Astrid was puzzled by the exchange, and caught Stoick's eye, looking for an answer.

"Astrid." Stoick said finally, turning to face her. She stood up, still holding her book in her hands. "Would you mind doing me a favor?"

She shook her head. "Not at all, chief."

"Go take care of Hiccup for me? Until I can get this sheep stampede under control?" Stoick asked gently. "I know you're busy, so if you can't I understand."

Astrid shook her head, turning slightly and letting her book fall onto the chair. "No, I can help. But... help with what?"

Stoick's face softened even more. "The lightning. He's never really gotten over it… ever since, you know…"

Realization dawned on Astrid, and she hurried to scramble for her coat. "Oh, no. I never thought…"

"None of us did. I only learned a few months ago during that bad hail storm, and then Gobber found out one time at the Forge." Stoick explained as he too began to pull on a bulky fur coat. "He doesn't like people worrying, has never told anyone other than me about it before."

Astrid was hardly listening anymore, all she could think about was getting out that door and to Hiccup's aid. He'd seemed fine at the Hall, but then again, Gobber had said Hiccup was good at hiding it, and the storm had just started…

"I'll hurry." Astrid assured Hiccup's worried father. "Just, get the sheep under control and hurry home as fast as you can."

"I will."

With that, Astrid pulled the door open, hurrying out into the pelting rain and powerful wind.

 **So, this actually played out a lot differently than I had planned. I was NOT planning to have a chapter with Astrid comforting Hiccup during a storm, but apparently, that's what next chapters gonna be! Then after that, they return to the island. I promise! :D**

 **Reviews are terrific and I love getting them, so please, if you have the time, leave one! Also, follows and fave's keep me going, so don't be afraid to push that little button below. :D :D And I'm not normally one to ask for Reviews, Follow, or Favorites, but I've been feeling a bit down lately so they would really make my day. :)**

 **Thanks all, see you in the next chapter!**


	6. Lightning

**Chapter 6.**

The wind had really picked up dramatically since Astrid had last been outside, and it nearly blew her over several times on her way down towards the village. Once she got in between the buildings it got better, but it was still rough going and rain was flying everywhere, making it difficult to see. The only thing guiding her through the village was the torch lights inside the houses, where the smarter Vikings were now huddled safe, comfy, and dry.

Astrid pushed on, hardly seeing anyone else out in this rain. She caught sight of a few fluffs of dirty white hiding in certain half dry spots, and suspected them to be some of Sven's run away sheep. But again, she just ducked her head and pushed on towards the Chief's hut, knowing that's where she'd find Hiccup.

Every time a flash of lightening or thunder boomed across the sky, Astrid flinched, knowing that Hiccup was probably having a panic attack with every one. Thankfully, Toothless would be there for him. She was sure of that. So until she got there, she was sure Toothless wouldn't leave Hiccup's side once.

Finally, she reached Hiccup and Stoick's door. She all but blew into it, or else she most likely would've missed it and continued on to who knows where. The rain was like a thin cloth tossed over her face, making seeing almost impossible. So when her fingers scraped against the door she grabbed it immediately, searching for the door knob before pushing it open, allowing herself inside. Not like anyone would here her knock anyways with the racket that storm was making.

She shoved the door closed behind her, standing there for a moment realizing how soaking wet she was. She was dripping a puddle of water before the door, and she knew that even under her coat she was soaked. She quickly unbuttoned her coat, tossing it on the back of a chair on her way to the stairs. Another flash of lightening and rumble of thunder sounded outside, casting light into the dimly lit hut.

Instantly, a clatter sounded from upstairs along with the low moan of dragon. Even from downstairs, Astrid could hear the sound of someone's heavy breathing, along with low mutterings of words that she couldn't make out.

She stepped with a squishy squeak, since her boots were soaked, but never minded it. Hiccup needed her, and she wasn't going to let her soaking wet self stop her from offering that help.

She dashed up the stairs, leaving a trail of water behind. Once she reached Hiccup's door, she looked about frantically for any signs of the dragon rider, but all she saw was Toothless curled up on the ground, his head tucked under his wings.

"Toothless?" Astrid said quietly. "Where's Hiccup?"

Toothless moaned before lifting up his wing, exposing Hiccup underneath it. The boy was curled into himself, his back to her and the room, Toothless's paws wrapped protectively around him. Another flash of lightening made him flinch and huddle even closer to Toothless, the said dragon glancing up at Astrid with sorrowful eyes.

"Hiccup…" Astrid said quietly, but it was obvious he didn't hear her, especially over the noise the storm was making.

"T-Toothless…" Hiccup stuttered. "P-please bud…"

Toothless began to wrap his wings back around himself and Hiccup, but Astrid held out her hand, stopping him.

"Hiccup." Astrid said louder this time. He visibly jumped, before looking over his shoulder, his face shadowed by Toothless's wing.

"A-Astrid? What're you doing here..."

Astrid smiled gently before kneeling down beside him, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. Hiccup flinched again before crawling even closer into Toothless's side, the dragon cooing with worry.

"I'm here to help you." She reassured the scared boy. Hiccup shook his head.

"No, I'm fine… you can go home, really."

Toothless snorted, and Astrid smiled at him, realizing that at this point, the dragon probably wouldn't even let her leave the room. He knew Hiccup needed human reassurance, and Astrid was probably the best at the moment to offer that help.

"Hiccup." Astrid shook his shoulder slightly. Hiccup only curled up tighter and murmured for her to go home.

Astrid sat up straight and placed her hands on her hips. "Hiccup Haddock if you don't answer me and get out here so I can give you a hug you'll be missing another leg!"

Toothless smirked before giving Hiccup a little kick with his legs, sending him sprawling out onto the floor while the dragon stood up and shook himself before moving out of the way. He crooned and nudged Hiccup's back with his head, hoping to get him to respond.

"Useless reptile." Hiccup murmured. Astrid smiled, glad to see he wasn't so panicked that he couldn't be sarcastic.

And those thoughts came too soon. More lightening crashed outside along with rolls of thunder, making Hiccup let out a stifled shout before going rigid, his entire body shaking violently.

Astrid held out her hands, one resting on his back as she was unsure of what to do. Hiccup continued shaking, and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was crying.

"Hiccup, please let me help you."

"Pl-please, Astrid… please g-go home…" Hiccup sobbed. "I-I don't want y-you to…"

More lightening, and this time Hiccup screamed, causing Toothless to jump three feet into the air in his mad haste to dash back to Hiccup's side. Astrid's heart rate picked up, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around Hiccup's shivering body and pulling him into her arms.

" _Shh_ …" Astrid hummed, rocking back and forth. Hiccup sobbed harder as he wrapped his arms around her back, his face burying into her collar bone. She didn't mind in the least, in fact, despite the situation, she enjoyed this physical contact.

" _Sh_ … Hiccup I'm here for you. I can help you… the lightening's just lightening. There isn't any medal around, you're fine… it can't get you…"

"I-I know… I mean, I _know_ , but, it- every time…" Hiccup stumbled, nearly choking on the words as he continued to cry.

" _Shh_ , don't talk. Just… deep breaths, okay? Calm down." Astrid continued rocking sideways and back ways as she hummed, trying to tune out the storm that surrounded them. Hiccup shivered again, but he had stopped shaking like a leaf at least. Astrid wasn't sure if he was still crying or not, because her shirt was already soaking wet from the rain.

"S-sorry…" Hiccup stuttered leaning back from her and sitting back on his heels. Toothless curled around him, giving him something to lean back on.

"It's fine, Hiccup." Astrid reassured, grabbing his hand before moving and sitting down beside him, her heart beat once again picking up rapidly as their bodies touched.

"Y-you're wet…"

Astrid glanced down at herself, pulling away from him when she realized that she was indeed still soaking wet and dripping water. Hiccup's shirt was damp because of it, and now she felt bad for not remembering her wet self and getting him wet.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot…"

"You're gonna freeze in that." Hiccup said, concern evident in his voice. He pushed himself to his feet and stepped to a trunk nearby, reaching in and rifling through its contents before pulling out a green shirt, very similar to the one he was currently wearing. It was only at that moment that Astrid realized he was without his armor, and was dressed in nothing but his green shirt, although the arm guards were still on.

"Here." He handed her the shirt, and she took it hesitantly. She glanced up at him before noticing that he was already heading to the doorway. "Um, go ahead and put it on…"

Astrid reached out a hand to stop him, glancing fretfully at the window, hoping that no more lightening was clash before she was finished. But Hiccup had already disappeared out the door, his back slightly visibly as he sat down on the steps and waited.

She turned around and pulled off her shirt, feeling rather awkward when Toothless's eyes stared at her, obviously rather startled by her actions. She smiled at the dragon's unimpressed look, realizing that they had a chaperone. Good thing too, because her parents, regardless that she was hanging out with Hiccup, would like to know that they weren't alone. It was how they were, very traditional, and she didn't mind. Toothless would make a fine chaperone, considering how touchy he was about his human.

She dropped the soaking wet shirt on the ground, looking down at herself with a smile, noticing how the sleeves were far too long and that the shirt's hem dropped almost to her knees. She rolled up the sleeves to right above her wrists before grabbing reaching down and tugging off her boots, since those squished a puddle of water out every time she took a step. Thankfully, her socks and leggings had stayed dry, the boots having kept any water from soaking through.

Astrid kicked everything over by the door before stepping out the door, noticing how Hiccup was no longer on the steps. She trotted down the stairs, Toothless following close behind.

Hiccup was sitting on the floor beside the fire. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them as he stared at the flame. Thunder rumbled, and Hiccup's eyes squeezed shut.

Astrid sat down beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder in comfort. He opened his eyes and looked at her, his green iris's wide with terror.

"I- it gets me every time… just the light and…"

"I know." Astrid whispered soothingly. She pulled him against her yet again, resting his head against her shoulder before gently picking up her rocking once more. "But we're here, it can't get you. I promise you that. And even if it came to your door, Toothless and I won't let it get passed the threshold."

Hiccup smiled weakly. "Thanks, but-"

Astrid mentally cursed that lightening when it flashed yet again across the stormy sky. Hiccup stiffened and he began panting heavily. She held him tighter, and his face was once again pressed into her- well, _Hiccup's_ \- shirt.

Astrid just sat there, holding him tightly while Toothless curled protectively around both of them. He nudged Hiccup's boot worriedly, but otherwise just lay there, his eyes never leaving Hiccup's form.

"I-I'm sorry, Astrid. I-" Hiccup stuttered as he pulled away, his cheeks blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be." Astrid interrupted. "I want to help, Hiccup. You're my friend, and you deserve it too. Not only that, but I enjoy your company. I'd rather be stuck inside all day with you rather than at home with my parents. My mother would probably try to get me to sew again."

Hiccup smiled softly, and that little smile made Astrid's heart sing. Maybe she was helping him after all?

"Thanks, but I don't really understand why you'd want to stay here with a crying idiot all day…" Hiccup said, his tone revealing his shame and embarrassment.

Astrid frowned and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Hiccup, don't you get it? This." She gestured with her hand to him, and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, I just gestured to all of you." She smiled slightly, but it quickly disappeared as she became serious again. "This is you, and you went through a dramatizing experience." She said sternly. "I don't know anyone who's gone through what you went through. But I do know how it feels. I went through the same thing after the Flightmare a couple years ago. But I made my parents swear not to tell anyone, because I was afraid you'd all see me as weak."

 _Where am I going with this?_ She thought to herself, but she just continued, hoping her point would ring true in the end.

"Then, you should understand-" Hiccup started, but Astrid just picked up her words again, stopping him from saying anything more.

"And I cried, Hiccup. I cried like a fool all night sometimes. But I let my Mom and Dad- and…. Ruffnut actually."

Hiccup's eyes widened in surprise.

"-Help me. They helped me get through it." She paused for emphasis. "And they didn't see me as weak."

"Hiccup, this." Once again, she gestured to him. "Doesn't make you weak. Getting struck by lightning? That's terrifying, and you are entitled to phobia of it. It happens to many people, and it by no means makes you an idiot."

Hiccup remained silent, and when another lightning bolt split the sky, He jumped, and huddled closer to her. She wrapped her arms loosely around him, head resting against his. She closed her eyes, just enjoying this little moment of their half-hug. When would she get another one again?

"Thank you, Astrid…" Hiccup whispered hoarsely. "I don't deserve a friend like you…"

Astrid smiled and absent mindedly placed a kiss to the top of his head, blushing afterwards when she realized what she'd done. "No, you deserve much better, Hiccup."

Hiccup mumbled some sort of disagreement, but it was drowned out by the sound of the cackling fire and the fierce winds outside. Toothless huffed tiredly, and his eyes locked with Astrid's. She smiled back at him before rubbing his head reassuringly.

After several minutes without lightning, Astrid deemed it had moved on, and they were only left with lots of rain and wind. Even the thunder died out, leaving only the sound of pattering rain against the roof top.

She glanced down at Hiccup, brushing his bangs aside to see his face. His eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open, and she realized that he was asleep. She smiled at his peaceful face, and she moved, letting his head rest in her lap and letting herself lean against Toothless in a comfortable position. Before long, with the cackling and heat from the fire, she too drifted off to sleep.

…

"Astrid."

Astrid groaned and tried to move away from the hand that was shaking her shoulder. But the voice persisted.

"Astrid."

"Whuh?" She asked groggily, opening her eyes to see Stoick standing over her. She gave a startled jump, not expecting to see the big chief.

"Uh, chief! Um, what is it?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Stoick glanced down at the still sleeping Hiccup, then his eyes flitted back to Astrid's face. "How did it go?" he whispered.

"Alright…" Astrid replied, her eyes also falling onto Hiccup's sleeping face. His head was still in her lap, one of his arms wrapped around her back while the other one was flopped over over her stomach near his eyes.

Stoick bent down and picked Hiccup up into his arms, as gently as possible. Hiccup just mumbled incoherently before snuggling against his father's chest with a little sigh.

Stoick smiled and brushed Hiccup's bangs out of his face before making his way to the stairs, slowly making his way up them and into Hiccup's room. Astrid remained where she was, petting Toothless's head as she tried to wake herself up. Toothless huffed again, blinking at the fire tiredly. He must've stayed awake the entire time she was asleep.

Stoick came back down, holding a bundle of cloths in his arms. Astrid gave a little jump when one part of the hut gave a creak, the wind hitting it at full force. She huddled closer to Toothless's warm body, realizing how cold she was now that Hiccup had left.

Stoick dropped the bundle by the fireplace, and now she realized that it was her shirt and boots. He carefully placed her shirt on a medal pole protruding from the fireplace, and then proceeded to place her boots near the warmth of the flames, most likely to dry them out faster.

Stoick turned to her and smiled, "Thank you Astrid. Now, I would tell you to go home, but, with this storm, it's not safe." He went on, going into the kitchen and gathering a few eating items. "Are you hungry?"

Astrid shook her head. "No, thanks."

Stoick grabbed an apple and took a bite going over to a chair and pulling it near the fireplace. Astrid remained in her spot against Toothless on the floor, since she was most comfortable like this anyways. Her hands had something to do that way anyways, softly petting Toothless's head as the dragon dozed off.

"I want to thank you again, Astrid, for helping Hiccup." Stoick went on quietly. "You two seem to get together very well, so I figured you'd be the most suited for the job."

Astrid smiled shyly. "Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Stoick."

Astrid looked up at him, noticing the man's twinkling eyes. She knew for sure that she wasn't fooling anyone, and that Stoick knew her little "secret".

But he just nodded and looked at the fire, his eyes still twinkling. It was hard to tell with that beard, but she was positive that he was smiling.

"And, Astrid, you're welcome over anytime, you know. Don't be afraid to step inside the door without a knock."

Astrid turned beat read at that. "Chief! I…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. But you know, if you have nothing to do with your day, and it's a stormy one like this…" Stoick's voice trailed off. "Just drop in any time for a visit. You're a good girl, and I enjoy your company. I know Hiccup does too."

Astrid remained silent, her eyes fixed on her feet. Finally, she smiled up at the big man,

"Thank you. I might just do that."

 **Yay! Another chapter! And not a little one either I might add. :D**

 **Gosh, I gotta move faster. I have so many things waiting in line, and I'm moving so slowly with these chapter length stories. *wiggles finger at self***

 **Ahem, so I'll see you next chapter! In that one they'll be returning to the island, and then the drama begins… *gives deep sneaky chuckle***

 **See you then! *Gives cheesy salute before dashing off***


	7. The Dragon

**I NEED TO FINISH THIS STORY!**

 **I have so many waiting in line, I just HAVE TO GET THIS DONE. So, here's another chapter, hurrying to finish it so tomorrow I can (hopefully) update another. I really need to get started on Grounded, as well as Eel Pox for One and all the other stories I plan to do. So, without any more shenanigans, next chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7.**

Astrid was decidedly getting to the conclusion that she hated new, mysterious islands that had trenches in them that could only be made by some mysterious and possibly and most likely dangerous new dragon.

Hm, sounds likely, doesn't it?

Astrid stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the horizon, feeling the need to double check her satchel full of medical equipment she'd snuck in among the mandatory blanket and canteens of water. Just some Toothless saliva, along with some herbs, clean rags and bandages. But it was still enough to at least reassure her somewhat that if anything did happen, she'd be prepared.

After yesterday's storm, the seas seemed reasonably calm, although rather choppy here and there around the island or in the bays, given to the extra water they'd collected. But still, it was better than Astrid had expected, and hoped for. Secretly, she'd been hoping that the storm would carry out for a few more days, just so the journey would be delayed…

Because she _really_ had a bad feeling about that island. Just something about it seemed… _un safe_.

" _Dragons won't you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight_." Tuffnut sang loudly and off key. Astrid frowned and glared at his back, since he was flying in front of her.

"Tuffnut, if you don't shut up, I swear I _will_ hit you." Snotlout threatened, leveling Hookfang to fly alongside the twins and their dragon.

Tuffnut clicked his tongue. "Fine if you don't like a classic-"

"That is not a classic."

Tuff closed his eyes and waved his hand in the air. "My dear Snotlout! Classical of all classics, is the classical classic of classical classical classics monumental-"

Snotlout just looked mildly freaked out and a large amount of confused. "You know what, never mind. Keep singing if it means you'll stop talking different languages."

Tuffnut, mouth open in mid-explanation, shrugged and continued singing. " _Dragons won't you come out tonight-_ "

"Also." Ruffnut piped up. "It's in the morning."

Tuffnut placed his hands on his hips. "Will you please just let me sing?"

Astrid rolled her eyes and tuned out the ridiculous argument, her eyes switching over to the Night Fury that flew near her and Stormfly. Hiccup had been silent for most of the journey, hardly saying a word besides an occasional "Get along, you guys." Or "Did you bring supplies?"

He had said close to nothing directed towards her.

And Astrid was concerned. Had she somehow offended him after that "lightening fiasco"? Or, was he just being typical embarrassed Hiccup? Or was he, for whatever reason, mad at her?

She wished he'd open up and tell her what was bothering her, but so far, he hadn't. Instead keeping his eyes fixed on the island that was steadily growing larger, his posture and gaze ever unwavering.

Astrid shook it off, trying to ignore it for the time being. Maybe she could get him to explain once they landed on the island.

Not ten minutes later, they arrived, and once again that uneasy feeling filled Astrid's being. It made her nervous, and she found herself glancing around constantly, as though expecting something to leap out at them and chomp them down in one bite. But she couldn't help but feel the necessary precaution.

"Alright gang." Hiccup announced, pulling Toothless to a halt. He turned to Snotlout, who sat up a bit straighter as though knowing what was coming,.

"Alright, Snotlout, what is it you found last time we were here?"

"It was a foot print." Snotlout explained importantly. "Huge, bigger than Stormfly's or Hookfangs."

Hiccup frowned. "Where did you see it?"

Snotlout turned Hookfang and the two took off towards the middle of the island, closer to the trenches. Astrid was the last to follow, again feeling hesitant.

"There!" Snotlout pointed out, his finger directing towards the land below. "By the weird looking tree."

Hiccup instantly headed for it, making Astrid groan inwardly. Leave it to him to check it out first…

Everyone landed next to Toothless and Hiccup, Astrid jumping to the ground, clutching her axe in her hands firmly. She felt like she was being watched, and she hated that feeling.

Hiccup stood up and shook his head. "Nothing. The rain washed everything away."

Snotlout growled "Drat! I forgot about that blasted storm…"

Astrid noticed Hiccup go rigid for a moment, before relaxing and nodding his head. "Well, I guess that brings us back to where we started-"  
Before he could finish, the ground gave a jerk, nearly sending everyone spilling to their feet. Astrid spread her feet wide and clutched her axe harder, gritting her teeth in nervousness.

"What the!?" Hiccup cried out, holding out his arms to try and balance himself. Toothless growled, his eyes narrowed and slitted as he wrapped his body around his rider, his wings slowly expanding in a threatening manner.

Suddenly, the trees behind Hiccup and Snotout began rising in the air, Astrid's eyes widening in horror. "HICCUP! WATCH OUT!" she found herself screaming.

Toothless whirled around and plasma blasted at the area, his tail pushing both Snotlout and Hiccup away. But the trees still got pushed aside as a large purple dragon rose up from the ground- much like a Whispering Death would do.

This thing was _big_. About the size of a Whispering or Screaming Death, but looked so much deadlier. Its teeth were long and jutted out of its mouth in awkward areas, it's eyes a milky white color with small black pupils. It had sharp looking wings- like a Timberjack, but they weren't that big. What was the most terrifying was its huge claws on its arms and paws, along with the long spikes that could fold in on its tail.

"OH. MY. THOR!" Fishlegs squeaked.

"What is that thing!?" Snotlout demanded, turning to look at Hiccup, then Fishlegs, then accusingly at the twins.

Tuffnut held up his hands. "Don't look at us, we didn't do it."

The… _thing_ … roared loudly, making even Toothless hesitate. But then the Night Fury growled and let out an ear-splitting shriek before shooting another series of plasma blasts.

Hiccup turned around and waved his arms. "Get out of here!" he shouted, and the twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout instantly followed his instructions- for once.

"No, we're not leaving you!" Astrid shouted back, running up to stand beside him.

Hiccup grabbed her by the arms and gave her a little push towards Stormfly. "No, go Astrid! I'll try to… do _something_!"

Stormfly squawked, urging her to climb aboard, but Astrid stood her ground, spinning on her heal and glaring at the boy.

"NO." she stated firmly. "I am staying here with you, Haddock, and you can't talk me out of it either!"

Hiccup stared back at her, their gaze finally breaking when the ground shook, the large dragon having dove beneath the ground again.

"Please-" Hiccup started, but once again she stopped him.

"No." She grabbed his arm, holding her axe in her free hand. "I-I can't let you get hurt again."

Hiccup nodded and said sarcastically. "Aw, yes. Must protect the weak one-legged Viking-"

Astrid growled, her eyes flitting away from his face for a moment when she noticed the ground shifting nearby. "I thought we went over this! You're not weak, I just hate seeing you hurt!"

"And I hate seeing you hurt!" Hiccup shouted back, waving his arms in wild and almost angry gestures. "I want you safe!"

"And I want you safe!"

Toothless growled at them, as though telling them to break it up, that this was no time to be arguing. Both teens paused when the ground shook wildly, and suddenly, from behind Hiccup, the dragon burst up and out of the ground.

Hiccup was flung aside, landing against Toothless before scrambling to climb onto his dragons back. Astrid ran over to Stormfly, jumping up while never once lessening her hold on her axe.

The dragon roared again, charging towards Hiccup and Toothless. Toothless jumped into the air, easily dodging the bigger dragon.

"Hey!" Astrid shouted, waving her hand in the air. "Over here!"

The dragon whipped around, it's long tail sprawling out through the air like a battle axe. Toothless barely missed being swatted out of the air like a fly, instead hovering above the dragon as Hiccup tried to figure out what to do.

Stormfly also flew up and out of harm's way when the dragon lunged at her. Astrid flew up alongside Hiccup, panicking ever so slightly.

"What do we do!?"

Hiccup remained silent, his eyes darting from one place to another in attempts to get things figured out. But nothing seemed to be coming to him, so Astrid also began calculating their options.

"We're here to help!" a cry called out, and Astrid glanced skywards, noticing the others flying down to join them.

"Did you really think we'd just leave you guys?" Fishlegs said with a smile. "So, what's the plan?"

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked gently, and the boy turned to look at her, his eyes dark and full of guilt.

"I'm…" he started. "Astrid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, really, I'm just kind of… well, embarrassed about yesterday and-"

Astrid smiled softly and shook her head. "It's fine Hiccup. We went over this remember? It's not a big deal."

Hiccup smiled back, then turned to look at the others.

"Alright, we have to get this thing to a different island, further away from Berk. So Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuff, Ruff, make it mad. Annoy it."

Tuff smiled widely. "Our specialty!"

"Astrid and I will lead it to Dragon Island."

Snotlout nodded. "Good plan. You stay in the front and get roasted! Best idea you've ever had, Hiccup!"

As the four flew off to their assigned duties, Hiccup and Astrid hung back, waiting and watching as the others made as much noise as possible. It reminded Astrid so much of the Red Death, it was almost scary-

Wait. No. This was definitely scary.

Astrid continued watching, shaking her head when the dragon dove into the ground again, digging yet another tunnel, causing the ground to cave in at some areas. "Hiccup, this isn't working!"

Hiccup bit his lip. "Yeah, I-I know…" He continued watching the ground as the dragon stayed out of sight, busting out and into the air a moment later. "We just need to get it to fly…"

"DONE!" Fishlegs shouted, flying up alongside them. The dragon was now hovering above the ground- not much- and he seemed to be struggling, but at least he was in the air.

"Look at that fat boar." Snotlout shook his head. "I mean, he's too big for his own wings!"

"We have to hurry." Hiccup said before diving downwards towards the dragon, Astrid urging Stormfly to follow. She liked this- she and Hiccup working together. It just seemed _… right_.

"Watch out!" Hiccup warned, narrowly missing the dragon's snapping jaw. "Look!" He pointed at the dragon's hide.

Astrid realized what he meant almost immediately. The dragon's hide was rough, and purple. Just like the scale she'd found a few days earlier.

"What is it, Hiccup!?"

"I have NO idea!" he replied, once again swerving in order to avoid another collision with the spiked tale. "Alright, let's do this!"

Astrid followed Hiccup as he and Toothless dove down, right past the dragon's nose, then pulling up, right before touching the ground. Toothless and Stormfly let out shouts at the dragon as warning, making the thing roar in anger before jumping into the air to follow them into the sky.

Toothless turned and darted in the direction of Dragon's Island, which wasn't all that far away. In fact, it was in seeing distance, which reassured Astrid somewhat. Hopefully they'd make it before the dragon decided they'd make a nice snack.

Hiccup and Toothless flew a bit further ahead, just because Toothless was that much faster. And it was obvious that he was holding himself back, so as not to go too fast and leave Astrid and Stormfly alone and close to the dragon. Astrid leaned forward, trying to make it easier for her dragon to travel at high speeds.

The dismal sight of Dragon's Island soon came into full view, and they were able to circle the island in search of a suitable home for this big dragon. Hiccup pointed towards a tunnel, and she understood.

Get that thing in there, and lock it in.

Simple, right?

"Stay back and start covering the tunnels!" Hiccup called out. "I'll get him inside!"

Astrid nodded, although hesitantly. But after that little "argument" earlier, she figured it would be best to listen to what he said.

The two disappeared inside, and Astrid hurried to cover up the tunnels. The others also showed up and began helping her, covering any hole in sight until all that was left was the one meant for Hiccup's exit.

Astrid and the others hovered in the air before the hole, holding their breaths as they waited. It had been nearly fifteen minutes… what was taking so long?

Then, a loud roar shook through the air, making Astrid's heart beat faster and the dragons spook and growl in anger. Astrid bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the tunnel's entrance.

"Come on, come on…." She whispered, and continued waiting.

The telltale shriek of a Night Fury sounded, although it sounded echoed and distant. It made her worry, but she knew she had to hang back… for a little while longer.

"Ha! There they are!" Tuffnut shouted, pointing towards the top of the large mountain. Astrid smiled and allowed herself relief at the sight of the Night Fury darting straight up into the air, twirling about as he did so.

"Thank Thor!" Fishleg's gasped, falling backwards against Meatlug's back in a half faint.

Snotlout grinned smugly. "All in a day's work." He clapped his hands together smartly. "Come, come, peasants! Let us fly back to Berk for a hearty celebration!"

Toothless was now diving down towards them- rather fast Astrid noticed. Hiccup. What a show off.

But Toothless didn't appear to be stopping either. His wings were fluttering, and then struggling, and Astrid realized then- that something was horribly wrong.

"Guys, wait!" She called out, the others turning to see what she meant. She dashed towards the falling dragon, Fishleg's also noticing the danger and following quickly behind her.

"Oh Thor!" Fishleg's squeaked when Toothless literally crashed right into them, nearly knocking all three dragons out of the sky. Astrid looked down at Stormfly's paws, trying to catch sight of Hiccup anywhere.

That's when she noticed that Toothless had his wings wrapped around himself- like a cocoon- and that his saddle was empty.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called out, supposing that Hiccup was pulled up against Toothless' stomach and hidden from sight. "Let's get them to the ground."

When they touched the rocks below, the others landed around them. Snotlout clambered off and trotted over to the small group. "What happened?" He asked, the twins stepping up behind wearing befuddled expressions.

"Where's H?" Tuffnut asked, scratching his head. "Wasn't he the one who flies a Night Fury? I thought for certain that-"

"Shush." Ruffnut nudged her brother in the ribs with her elbow, shooting him a glare.

Astrid was sure her heart was beating a million times a minute as she scrambled off of Stormfly's back and over to Toothless's gasping form. She knelt down by the dragon's wings, trying to pry them open.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called out, but still she received no reply. She turned to Toothless, the dragon's eyes closed and his mouth slightly parted as he heaved for air. "Toothless, please, I need to see if he's alright…"

Toothless didn't bother to open his eyes as he spread his wings wide, revealing the boy in his grasp.

Hiccup was lying on his side, his back to her. But even from that angle, Astrid could see the smears of blood against Toothless's belly scales, and how Hiccup's armor seemed to be tinted a pinkish color…

"Oh gods!" She gasped, her worst fears seeming to have happened. "Oh gods, please no!"

With a heavy _thump_ , Fishleg's promptly fainted at the first signs of blood. The twins gasped and Snotlout just openly stared.

"Woah." Tuffnut muttered. "Wow, H. That's… like, a _LOT_ of blood."

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's arms and pulled him out, rolling him over so she could see his chest. She gave another gasp at the sight of a spike protruding from his stomach.

 **Cliffie! :-)**


	8. Injuries

**Chapter 8.**

Astrid sat there, staring at that spike for nearly ten seconds before she snapped out of her daze, hurrying to pull her satchel from around her neck and tossing it to the ground before her.

"Okay, okay, okay, it's gonna be okay." Astrid whispered over and over, more to herself then to the unconscious Hiccup. Thankfully, he was too out of it to- hopefully- to feel any of the pain at the moment, which did help her focus somewhat.

What to do? She'd read about sword wounds, and arrows, but never a spike! Did she push it down and pull out like an arrow? What should she do? Gothi hadn't shown her this kind of stuff!

Astrid pulled out her herbs and bandages, setting them to the side while she scooted closer to get a better look at the wound.

She began unstrapping Hiccup's armor, biting her lip as she did so. The others just stood close behind her, waiting for the news- all except for Fishlegs, who was still out cold.

She tugged the armor off, careful to pull it over the spike so as not to hurt him even more. Once she had the chest armor and shoulder guards off, she moved to the spike, gnawing her lower lip as she pulled at his shirt, ripping it open around the wound.

She noticed first off how her hands were shaking un controllably, so she took a moment to just take a deep breath, and get her nerves under control. Then, she turned and grabbed a rag, wrapping it around the spike and pressing down to try and staunch the blood.

Even with that small movement, Hiccup stirred and let out a low moan. Toothless growled and moved closer, resting his head beside Hiccup's in a protective manner.

Astrid took another deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "Snotlout. I need you to come here and hold him down."

Snotlout gave a little whine as he stepped forward, kneeling down across from her before gently grabbing Hiccup's arms and shoulders, pressing them to the ground. Hiccup rolled his head to the side with another groan.

"O-okay…" Astrid stuttered, finding it harder and harder to stay strong. "I'm… I'm going to p-pull it out now… he's going to struggle."

Snotlout's face was almost as white as Hiccup's at this point, but he nodded and pressed down a bit harder.

Astrid grabbed extra rags, setting them nearby so she'd be able to grab them quickly when she needed them. Then, she wrapped her hands around the spike, placing all her attention on it as she- as carefully as possible- pressed down just a bit.

The reaction was immediate. Hiccup tried to sit up abruptly, but thankfully Snotlout seemed prepared for it. He pushed Hiccup back to the ground, but the boy continued struggling, and he let out a harsh scream of pain and panic.

Toothless whined and nudged Hiccup's head with his own, worry quite evident in his expression. But Astrid was too worried and distracted to take much notice in the dragon's distress.

Hiccup was moving too much, causing the wound to bleed even more then what it was already. And him kicking and moving his legs weren't helping manners at all, not to mention it made it even more difficult for Astrid to work.

Tuffnut jumped forward, grabbing Hiccup's legs and trying to pin them down. But for a wounded one-legged Viking, Hiccup was actually fairly strong. Snotlout was already practically sitting on Hiccup's chest, while Tuffnut was struggling to keep Hiccup from kicking him in the face.

Ruffnut snapped out of her daze and also knelt down, opposite of Tuffnut, and held down Hiccup's left leg. Finally, they had Hiccup somewhat stilled, enough for Astrid to finish the job anyways.

"Okay… one… two… three…" Astrid gave the spike the tiniest of twists before jerking it out, happy to see it came out clean and the barb still intact.

Astrid cringed and her heart beat quickened as Hiccup screamed again, making her hurry to slap the rags over the bubbling wound. She applied pressure- just like she'd learned- and counted silently in her head for an entire minute.

By the end of the minute, Hiccup had passed out into an even deeper unconsciousness, allowing Snotlout, Tuff and Ruff to lean back and wipe the sweat off their faces. Each one was beyond pale, and everyone was shaking from the stress.

Astrid removed the red stained rags to pear at the wound, already knowing it would need stitches. Thanks to Snotlout, she at least knew how to do that.

She reached back into her satchel and pulled out the needle and thread, quickly prepping it and spreading Toothless saliva over the needle, to keep it clean.

Then she grabbed the water canteen, dumped it over the wound, and pressed a rag over it, soaking up the water and blood. Once that was done, she poured Toothless saliva over the wound, then hastening to begin stitching it closed.

Once done, she grabbed some gauze like material, placing that over the sutured cut before grabbing the bandages.

"Snotlout, Tuff, could you help him sit up?"

The two moved forwards silently, doing as told. Hiccup's head lolled at an awkward angle to the side, making Snotlout hesitantly move his position, so that Hiccup's head rested on his shoulder.

Ruffnut held Hiccup's shirt up to his chest while Astrid wrapped the bandages around his stomach and to his back, putting layer after layer over the wound, all the while hoping she was doing this correctly.

"O-okay, I think I'm done." Astrid said, kneeling back on her heels while Tuffnut and Snotlout laid Hiccup back down, moving out of the way when Toothless crooned sadly, wrapping his wings and paws carefully around his injured rider.

"What do you think happened?" Tuffnut asked thoughtfully.

Astrid lifted her eyes to the mountain before them. "That dragon's tail… it must be in the same class as Stormfly, some class of Nadder maybe…"

"But… is Hiccup going to be alright?" Snotlout asked fretfully, "Not that I care or anything, I mean-" he stuttered.

Astrid nodded her head. "I think we got it out before the poison could spread- if that thing had any poison at all. I don't think it did, because it's claws were so big. I think the poison was mostly in its claws and teeth then in its spikes."

Ruffnut sighed in relief. "Well, that's good news."

Silence reigned for several moments, interrupted only by Fishlegs low grumbles and mutterings as he made his way out of unconsciousness.

"What happened?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.

Astrid sighed and got to her feet, allowing the others to explain while she stepped closer to Toothless, looking over his saddle to see if any damage had been done to it.

"Can you fly, bud?" Astrid asked, kneeling down by the dragon's head and patting it reassuringly. He cooed in reply, unfolding his wings and gently adjusting Hiccup so he was lying on the ground again. He then stood up and shook himself, dirt and debris flying everywhere.

She turned to the others, who were quietly conversing among themselves, and relayed orders.

"Okay, I'm going to fly Toothless and carry Hiccup, we have to get back to Berk. Also, Tuff, Ruff, I want you guys to finish closing in that mountain to keep that dragon somewhat at bay."

The twins nodded and made a mad dash to their dragon, climbing on and flying off towards the mountain, while Snotlout and Fishlegs remained, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Let's get him home." Astrid finished, turning to Toothless and climbing onto the saddle. Snotlout noticed and jumped forward, gently picking Hiccup up before handing him to Astrid.

"If you want I could take him…" Snotlout offered.

"No- no, it's fine." Astrid replied, sliding her feet into the pedals. The left one was rather difficult, since it was fixed for Hiccup's medal leg, but she maned it, although it was mildly uncomfortable.

"Alright." She adjusted Hiccup in her arms, careful so as not to hurt him. He was still out, which in a way she was thankful for. It meant he couldn't feel the pain.

"Let's hurry!"

Toothless bounded into the air, his wings pounding fast and heavily as he made a beeline for Berk. Astrid clung tightly to Hiccup, swearing she would not loosen her hold. She couldn't lose him, and at the moment, it seemed that if she so much as lessened her grip, he'd disappear from her arms.

After about twenty minutes, Hiccup groaned. The sound was both relieving to hear, and worrisome, because it meant he was coming out of unconsciousness, so would therefore feel the pain. Bu tit also meant he was alive, which brought more happiness and joy to Astrid's heart.

" _Shh_ , Hiccup. We're heading home. Don't worry." She whispered soothingly.

"Nng…" He whimpered hoarsely.

Astrid felt the sudden urge to cry, but she pushed it aside, because Hofferson _DON'T CRY_.

"I know, I know…" Astrid whispered regretfully. "But once we get you to Gothi's, she'll give you something to help with the pain."

Hiccup sighed heavily and buried his head into her shoulder, reminding her of yesterday's events. She rested her head against his, glancing at the others to make sure they weren't looking before pressing a soft kiss into his hair.

"I'm sorry… I'm _so_ sorry…" Astrid murmured, not entirely sure why she said it, since she didn't really have anything to be sorry about, but she felt the need to say them, so just let them slip out.

Hiccup's breathing was deep and raspy, sounding like maybe his lungs had been slightly damaged. She hoped not, because breathing problems were the last thing Hiccup needed right now.

Why was it always Hiccup? First his leg, then the lightning, then the Outcasts, and now this? Why did it always have to be him!?

The twins caught up with them, so now the whole group was back together. But no one said anything, probably because they're all too worried Astrid figured. It was rather surprising, since the twins and Snotlout rarely showed compassion.

"How is he?" Ruffnut asked, she and Tuff flying up alongside Toothless.

Astrid shook her head, glancing down at Hiccup's sleeping form. "Asleep right now."

"So he woke up?"

"For a second."

Silence was once again their friend, but it wasn't awkward, just… concerned. A concerned silence.

Finally, after what seemed like years and centuries, Berk came into sight. At seeing it, Toothless flew even faster, soon passing the others and leaving them behind.

Toothless was panting heavily from the exertion when they finally landed/collapsed by Gothi's hut, Astrid scrambling off and running inside, Hiccup still held tight in her arms. Since he was heavier then what she originally thought, however, it took her longer to get him inside.

"GOTHI!" She screamed, kicking the door in. "Hiccup's hurt!"

"What!?" came Gobber's voice, and he along with the elder hurried forward- or Gothi more like hobbled.

Astrid struggled to get Hiccup to the table without hurting him, and Gobber seemed to notice for he stepped forward and scooped the wounded boy up in his arms (well, arm and a half) before gently lying him on the table. Gothi scuttled forward, stepping up onto a stool so she could see better.

"I did just like I learned, cleaned it and disinfected it and stitched it but he lost so much blood Gothi I just don't know-" Astrid rambled, her knees shaking in fear. Gobber stepped closer and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry lass." Gobber reassured. But she noticed how his eyes were also nervous and filled with worry. "I- um, why don't you go get Stoick? Tell him Hiccup's injured."

Astrid hesitated but the nodded her head, turning and heading towards the door. As soon as she opened it Toothless dashed inside, his tail swinging the door shut behind him.

Stormfly squawked worriedly, and Astrid hurried to jump onto her back. "Find Stoick, girl!"

It was actually easier to find him then Astrid thought it would be. He was standing smack in the middle of the village square, in plain sight from the sky. He was talking to Silent Sven, but Astrid did not care in the least if she interrupted their conversation or not.

"STOICK!" she shouted from above. He looked about for a moment before looking skyward, his hand going to shad his eyes.

"It's Hiccup!"

Stoick froze in place for a moment before waving his hand. "Land and give me a lift!"

Stormfly dropped the ground, Stoick immediately scrambling on behind Astrid. "Hurry!" he ordered (because let's be honest, Stoick never _asks_ ).

"What happened?" he asked as Stormfly flew up towards Gothi's hut.

"We found that strange dragon, and it shot Hiccup with a spine in the stomach-"

"THE STOMACH!?" Stoick exploded. "IS- is he okay?" he calmed down a bit, but the panic was still evident in his voice.

Astrid shook her head dizzily; all this drama was starting to make her feel rather dazed…

"Yes… as far as I know. He was still unconscious when I dropped him off at Gothi's, so I don't know if I treated the wound right or not."

Stormfly landed; Stoick jumping off before her feet even touched the ground. Astrid remained by her dragon for a moment, just trying to calm her frayed nerves before stepping towards the door, not really ready to hear whatever news was awaiting her.

 **I know this chapter is rather crappy and rushed, and I don't even have a good excuse as to why it is like that… but eh. XD**

 **Next chapter should be the last chapter I think (it's about time, really)**

 **Also, just a little update on me. I will be going on a few day Hiatus from April 14** **th** **\- April 17** **th** **or 18** **th** **. (We'll be out of town that weekend) so yep, I won't be having any updates for a couple days there, just so you know!**

 **And I'm thinking my next story is going to be Grounded or Eel Pox for One (or both :D) just another update!**

 **Okay, enough of my boring rambling. See you in the next (and final) chapter! Thanks for all the reviews on last chapter!**


	9. Confestions

**Chapter 9.**

Astrid cranked the door open slowly, taking in deep, calming breaths, trying to keep herself calm. It was difficult to do, because all the shock and panic from the last couple hours was starting catch up with her, making her feel dizzy and weak in the knees.

Gobber and Stoick were whispering quietly at the table, Gothi standing before them, nodding her head every now and then. In a mad panic, Astrid's eyes scanned the room for Hiccup, nearly having a heart attack when she noticed he was no longer on Gothi's examination table.

She sighed in relief when she noticed the bed in the corner, and the form lying on it. She ignored the adults, and instantly went straight to the bed, afraid of what she'd see but anxious to see him too.

He was pale- as in, really _really_ pale. His skin looked nearly white, except for his cheeks, which were slightly flushed with what she supposed to be a fever. To her extreme relief, she noticed his chest rising and falling under the blankets, although the cloth prevented her from seeing his wound.

"Astrid." Stoick whispered loudly. She turned around, her heart beat picking up rapid speeds in worry.

"Yes..?" She asked cautiously, stepping closer to the small group.

Stoick scooted over on the bench, motioning for her to sit down, which she did so. Gobber and Gothi sat across from them, and they were both quiet. (Well, Gobber was, Gothi is always silent)

Stoick remained quiet for several moments, making her panic rise all the more. Why didn't he just tell her already!? This waiting was driving her crazy!

"I wanted to thank you." Stoick finally murmured. "Gothi…" He waved a hand towards the elder, who nodded back and smiled at Astrid. "She said she didn't even have to anymore then wash it out. You did well, Astrid."

Astrid let out a sputtering breath of relief, half laughing in it and wiping away some tears that escaped her eyes. "Oh… oh thank the gods, I thought…"

Stoick smiled and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close into a half hug. Instinct told her to stiffen, so she did, but after a few seconds she relaxed, almost finding the courage to hug him back.

"Thank you so much, Astrid. For protecting Hiccup… for doing… all that." He gestured about with one hand. "For him." His hand then gestured softly towards Hiccup. He turned and smiled at her through the beard (Again, drat that beard!) "Thank you." He finished simply.

Astrid smiled and scooted away, still rather uncomfortable in his tight grasp. "It's not a problem chief- er, Stoick." She blushed and dared to say, "I wanted to."

Stoick laughed quietly. "Yes, I know, lass. Boy, do I know."

That puzzled her, but she shrugged it off, to tired and mentally exhausted to question it. "So he'll be alright?" She asked hopefully.

Gobber took this moment to jump in on the conversation. "Yep, old Gothi here-" _whack_ "said you did a good job with the stitched, and he should be good as new in a couple of weeks. A week or two in bed, then he can be up and moving around if Toothless helps him out a bit."

The dragon's head shot up from the opposite side of the table, and he cooed and nodded his head, almost as though he understood. IT was rather comical, because at the position his head was in, it looked like he too was sitting at the table, nodding his head seriously.

"Good dragon." Gobber laughed, rubbing Toothless head.

Astrid listened to them pick up the conversation again, her eyes wandering back to Hiccup's still body. When would he wake up? He wouldn't be in a coma again would he?

"He's just exhausted." Stoick reassured her, as though reading her mind. "Gothi says he should wake up soon- perhaps tonight or early tomorrow."

Astrid nodded, still remaining silent. So… she probably wouldn't get to see him as soon as he woke up. She felt rather depressed at that thought, she'd been hoping to see him as soon as he dropped back into consciousness…

Stoick cleared his throat and stood up, sliding the bench and Astrid away from the table. She nearly toppled over the moment, having been distracted and not paying attention. Gobber also stood up and walked towards the door.

"We have to get back to work… but-" Stoick's beard twitched, making Astrid wonder if he was smiling or just had an itch… (That stupid beard!)

"Astrid." Stoick said in his 'commander' tone. "You'll stay here and watch Hiccup, alright? Gothi has other customers to take care of, and I want you to make sure Hiccup doesn't wake up and try taking off. I'll try to be back before he wakes up, but if something comes up, I might not…" Stoick's voice trailed off in regret. "But I'll try."

Astrid nodded, but she had a sneaking suspicion Stoick had put her in charge of Hiccup for more than one reason. Because, for one thing, she'd been practicing medicine. She was certain she could care for Gothi's patients while the elder watched over Hiccup. But no, Stoick had placed _her_ in charge of Hiccup.

 _He so totally knows…_

…

As Stoick had predicted, Hiccup didn't even so stir until late that afternoon. The sun was just disappearing from the sky, and the gang had already come and gone, wondering how Hiccup was and wanting to learn if he was alright. They had originally wanted to stay and wait with Astrid for Hiccup to wake up, but Gothi shooed them all out, for the reason she said, "They're too loud and Hiccup needs rest." But Astrid suspected the elder also wanted to play match maker, and because the twins seemed to irritate her no matter what they did.

Astrid was rereading one of the books she'd read a few days ago, checking over stuff about extreme burns, when she heard a small, low groan. For a moment, she thought it had only been Toothless, but the dragon had gone outside to find something to eat, so it couldn't be him.

Her eyes widened and she literally tossed the book across the room in her hurry to get to Hiccup's bedside. She crashed into the chair beside it, leaning forward hesitantly and worriedly.

Hiccup's eyes squeezed shut a bit tighter and he opened his mouth to moan again, the sound squeezing Astrid's heart. He was in obvious pain- of course he was! He'd just been stabbed in the stomach for Odin's sake!

"Hiccup..?" She whispered quietly, resting a hand lightly on his chest, feeling the shaky rise and fall of it as he breathed.

"Astrih…" Hiccup mumbled incoherently, his eyes still shut and his breathing unnaturally heavy. "You… you alright?"

Astrid smiled softly to herself, her hand moving down to grab his hand. "I'm just fine Hiccup."

"T-toothless?"

"Fine too. You're the only one hurt."

Hiccup nodded, licking his lips before sighing and blinking his eyes open at her. Seeing those bright emerald eyes brought more comfort then she thought possible, and she smiled a wider upon seeing them.

He moaned and tried to roll onto his side, Astrid offering help when he needed it. At one point he froze in place, hissing through his teeth for a long minute before completely turning onto his side.

"S-sorry…" Hiccup said hoarsely.

"For what?"

"Being useless… and for- for yelling…"

Astrid laughed quietly and slid out of her chair, kneeling on the ground so she was now eye level with him. "You idiot." She whispered, her fingers playing with his hand. "Don't you realize… you saved us? You save Berk, and just because you got hurt during it does not mean you're useless."

Hiccup stared at her, then blinked a few times in bewilderment.

"And as for the yelling…" Astrid sighed and leaned back, her spine bumping against the chair. "I'm sorry too."

"But I was being a mutton head." Hiccup insisted, scowling and looking frustrated with himself.

"Yes. Yes you were." Astrid agreed, but before he could say more she finished. "For not telling me what was bothering you.

Hiccup snapped his jaw shut, his eyes softening and he lowered his gaze to their clasped hands.

"Hey…" Astrid whispered, resting a finger under his chin and drawing his face up to look at her. "I'll always be here for you, alright? And..." She quieted a bit, and was tempted to chicken out and not say anything, but Hiccup's eyes brightened and held a sparkle, silently begging her to finish.

"I care about you, alright? And no matter what you do, even if you yell at me, I can't stop lo-liking you." Astrid hurried to finish, nearly spilling her secret. "And besides, I knew for the most part was bothering you, so don't let that bug you alright? All's forgiven, and for now, I just want you to focus on getting well, alright?"

Hiccup looked away, but she again used her cupped hand to drag his face back to face her. "Got it!?" She asked fiercely.

Hiccup nodded meekly. "Yes ma'am." He smiled softly but then grimaced, "But… really, I'm sorry. I shouldn't've yelled."

"It's alright." She reassured. "Just… next time tell me what's eatin' you before ignoring me alright? And also." He stared at her, "no matter what you do- and even if you think it makes you look weak- don't ignore me. Please. I have never thought you weak… well, not since I've gotten to know you anyways." She added with a hint of embarrassment. "So, no more hiding it, alright?"

Hiccup nodded, whispering almost inaudibly. "Right… thank you."

Astrid smiled and wrapped an arm around him, giving him the gentlest hug she could manage. In truth, she wanted to scoop him up and squeeze him to death, for just being alive, but also for being a stupid idiot for driving that dragon into the cave all by himself.

"You hungry?" Astrid asked, pulling away so she could see his face.

He looked rather dazed, and that pushed Astrid into nurse mode instantly. She stood up and walked to the fire pit, pulling the pot out and dipping the soup into a bowl. She added a bit of cold water to help it cool faster, then turned and rushed back to the bed.

Hiccup was giving her an amused expression. "Astrid… I'm not hungry. Just… really tired." He murmured.

Astrid sat the bowl on the edge of the table, "You need to eat, Hiccup."

"Later…" Hiccup whispered, trying to roll over onto his other side. "This stinks…" he muttered angrily.

Astrid laughed and helped him roll over again, wincing every time he groaned or let out any noise of pain. "Are you sure you want to sleep...?"

"Em, yeah…" Hiccup whispered contentedly. "Lullaby, m'lady?"

Astrid laughed, "Not today, Dragon Boy. If you eat your food… maybe…"

"Stick around till I wake up, then I'll eat and get my lullaby."

"I'll warn you that I have a terrible set of pipes."

Hiccup faltered, then picked up the banter again. "Well, if it's better than your yaknog, I think I can take it."

"You…" Astrid punched him lightly in the arm, more liked tap since she figured he was injured enough without a bruised arm to add to the pot.

Hiccup moved his pillow up a bit, burying his face into it. "Hm… soft pillow…"

Astrid rolled her eyes and folded the blanket a bit further up his shoulders. "You're a dork." _And such a cute one too_ , she added silently, blushing a bit at the thought.

"Thanks…" Hiccup murmured a reply. "You're cute…"

 _He's delusional!_ Astrid thought wildly, but his words only made her blush more, given to her previous thought.

"Hiccup..?"

"Uh-oh…" He whispered, his voice shocked and slightly panicked. "Did I say that out loud?"

Astrid chuckled, "Yeah, you kinda did."

"Ugh the gods hate me…" Hiccup whispered angrily into the pillow.

Astrid laughed again before ruffling his hair with her hand and turning to grab her chair once more, searching abouit a bit for her book. "Your dad should be back soon, I'll probably have to leave once he gets her though, so goodnight. I'll be back to see you in the morning." She informed him.

"Ah… okay… no lullaby?" Hiccup muttered dreamily.

"Maybe tomorrow." Astrid laughed, hiding behind her hand in her amusement.

"Hm, alright, guess I can wait till then."

"Goodnight, Hiccup.

"Night Astrid…"

…

Yep. Life on Berk is amazing. Especially when I have an amazing and terrific person to share it with, huh milady?

"You're so dramatic, you know that right?"

"Yep, but you love me for it."

"Don't really know why though…"

"Anyways, it took me a long time to actually ask Astrid out… nearly two years later actually. But hey! I wanted it to be perfect.

 _"Grrrrrmrbrrrgrowl!"_

"Toothless is fed up with me, I think. He believes himself to be a professional match maker."

"He's shoved us into more kisses then I can count. Stormfly too, huh girl?"

 _"Squawk!"_

"Berk should really be called Match Maker island. There's my Dad, Gothi, Toothless, Stormfly, Fishlegs, Heather, the twins- even Snotlout!"

"Hey, without Heather's help, it might've taken even longer for us to get together you know."

"And sheesh, Dagur really knows how to tease…"

"Yep, watching you blush is one of the funniest things ever. You literally turn into a tomato."

"Astrid! What, you like it when he teases me about you?"

"Ummm…."

 _"Grrgrrgrr…"_

"Stop laughing Toothless!"

 _ **The end.**_

 **Thank you everyone for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! Hope you liked this, and now to go on to my other stories! Got so many to do…**

 **I have two new one-shot series coming up as well. There will be a Birthday one, where I write everyone's birthdays, (It was requested) and then I'll also be doing a series of one-shots based on everyone's reactions of Hiccstrid getting together after season 4 RTTE.**

 **Anyways, thanks again! Tootles for now!**

 **-FanWriter02**


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